Fakieh Aquarium hosts first international marine life seminar

Jeddah’s Fakieh Aquarium hosted its first international marine life seminar themed "Challenges of marine life conservation in the Red Sea."
The seminar was attended by marine aficionados and members of the public who have taken a special interest in the aquarium and its activities.
“We want the aquarium to be a crossroads of education, entertainment and serious study of what lives beneath the surface of the sea and how best to conserve it,” said Jamil Attar, executive director of Tarfeeh Fakieh.
“This symposium is part of the process of achieving that. We have wonderful relations with the public, the schools and marine biologists, and what a magnificent thing it is to be able to bring them all together here,” he added.
Following opening remarks by Attar, numerous experts took to the dais to speak on various aspects of Red Sea life and the role of Fakieh Aquarium in promoting awareness of the Red Sea and vital issues pertaining to it.
Professor Michael Beruman of KAUST, a Fakieh Aquarium research partner, described the overall environmental conditions of the Red Sea, proposing methods for controlling pollution that is only exacerbated by the Red Sea being one of the hottest marine geographical areas in the world.
Francesco Cardia from FAO addressed the pluses and minuses of cage aquaculture in the Red Sea.
Jose Ignacio Cobo of Clear Reef spoke about the difficulties of replicating a natural environment for marine life in captivity, presenting a history of humans keeping sea life that reached back to the Sumerians in 2500 BC.
Bernardo Nascimento, who works at the Fakieh Aquarium, discussed obtaining good water quality for marine specimens — life support systems management.
He presented many of the details that need be taken care of in order to maintain good water quality and consistent feeding habits.