RIASSUNTO
ABSTRACT:
This study was carried out after a major oil spill hit the coasts of Bahrain in 1988. A total of fifteen stations around the Island of Bahrain were monitored for a period of six months in order to measure the impact of the spill on marine organisms and in particular those living in the intertidal zone. Large quantities of heavy hydrocarbons accumulated on the shores and caused death or serious damage to many organisms, including birds and fishes. The spill first hit the northwest shores. The oil spill was also reported to be the main factor in damaging the traditional fishing traps in the coastal waters, which caused serious effects on the fish catch for seven months.
Introduction:
The Island of Bahrain is located in the mid-western region of the Arabian Gulf which forms an almost enclosed shallow sea, and is rarely deeper than 100m. The water temperature ranges from 10 degrees C on cold winter nights to 37 degrees C in the summer days. The main surface circulation is anticlockwise, moving north westerly along the eastern coast of the Gulf while it moves south easterly on the western coast of the Gulf.
Prior to the Gulf war only a few incidents of Prior to the Gulf war only a few incidents of oil spills had been reported in the waters of Bahrain. However, during the last decade and particularly as a result of the Gulf war, particularly as a result of the Gulf war, incidents of oil spills have been regular events. In the whole Gulf region 39 incidents of confirmed pollution were reported in the period from May, 1981 until June, 1987. Four period from May, 1981 until June, 1987. Four major oil spills were reported for Bahrain. The first was in August, 1980, followed by the second in October, 1980 and the third in January, 1983. The latest major spill which hit the coasts of Bahrain started in late February, 1988 when some patches of oil were noticed on the water surface along the north west area of the Island. The accumulation of heavy tar was noticeable on most of the shores in April, 1988.
General effects of oil on marine organisms are reported by many authors. Oil may cause death or severe damage to the organism's body or part of it. Previously, the oil spill of August, 1980 was studied for its impact on some marine biota. Those studies showed that fish samples were contaminated with petrogenic hydrocarbons. In Bahrain, petrogenic hydrocarbons. In Bahrain, complaints by fishermen using the traditional fish trap (Haddra) were usually raised during all major spills. This paper surveys the impact of the 1988 oil spill on the major biota groups in the intertidal area around the main Island of Bahrain. It also reports the effects of the spill on the fish caught by traditional fish traps (Haddra) represented by the fish landed. The catch by Haddra usually represents more than 25% of the total fish landed.
Methods;
A total of fifteen stations were chosen around the shores of Bahrain to monitor the oil spill of 1988 (see Fig. 1). Each station was visited six times during the period of the study, which was carried out from March to August, 1988.
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