SHARJAH- The Sharjah Aquarium celebrated World Oceans Day with a number of activities under its social responsibility initiative “Because We Care”, now running for the sixth consecutive year. In parallel to this announcement, SMD released a number of seahorses into their natural habitat as an initiative to preserve the biodiversity of the UAE’s maritime environment.
The Sharjah Aquarium Team, in collaboration with marine biologists from the Emirates Marinelife Photography Group, wound up a successful breeding experiment by releasing young seahorses into their natural habitat adjacent to Sharjah Aquarium, making the Aquarium a more diverse habitat suitable for both research and leisure at the same time.
The breeding and release of aquatic species comes in the context of Sharjah Aquarium’s efforts to protect ocean fauna, which consisted thus far of breeding seahorses and Amphiprioninae, a successful process that is still ongoing, supported by the experience and knowledge acquired by Sharjah’s biologists during their experimental research.
Sharjah Aquarium is home to a variety of local marine organisms, and it is always supplied with species collected from the various marine environments in the Emirate. The scavenger team is supervised by marine biologists, who also head the breeding efforts.
The “Because We Care” initiative includes a number of annual events in partnership with important stakeholders and institutions in the Emirate. Examples of activities under this initiative include volunteer seashore cleaning, awareness lectures about the marine environment, and specialized exhibitions and children’s educational workshops. These events are planned and run by specialized personnel, and they target the widest possible segment of the society.
World Oceans Day is a worldwide celebration held on June 8th each year. It aims to raise awareness about the paramount role played by oceans and their biodiversity in the survival of the human race,and seeks to encourage people to preserve marine environment and protect it from further damage at humanity’s hands.