According to the 2008 Status of Coral Reefs of the World report, the Red Sea's coral reef system is among the healthiest in the world, but is still vulnerable to environmental threats posed by large coastal
populations, such as overfishing, pollution, and coastal development. To help understand these vulnerabilities the King Abdullah University Of Science and Technology (KAUST) Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), has undertaken several initiatives to discover more about the little-known science of the Red Sea.

Studies in movement ecology aim to develop a local conservation strategy that is commonly applied worldwide with the implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are largely regarded as effective measures to protect, preserve, and sustainably manage areas to safeguard their special value and to preserve threatened species of flora and fauna.

Implementing MPAs

MPAs are an ecosystem approach to conservation and management to ensure long-term sustainability of
the region's critical habitats and populations of globally important species. MPAs are endorsed by PERSGA: the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The University intends to participate in the design and implementation of MPAs in the Red Sea, and such projects are most successful if based on information about the movements of targeted species.

Beyond establishing an integrated regional network of MPAs supported by effective, integrated management and planning, the actual site selection of MPAs is critical. Sites should be based on a complete habitat and biodiversity mapping, and a socio-economic survey of the area.

It is generally accepted that if reefs are protected from fishing they remain in a healthier state, but more
data is needed to determine how large a protected area should be. Specifically, managers need information
related to how organisms move and what the connectivity is between reefs within a system. Current research is being performed specifically with larval connectivity and adult movement.

World's largest whale shark tagging program

This work includes movement ecology studies of pelagic fishes, such as whale sharks and dogtooth
tuna, using acoustic tagging to study within- and among-reef movements. Tags are implanted (surgically
for fish, externally for whale sharks) and receiver arrays deployed near Thuwal and Al Lith will track movement data.

This is the world's largest whale shark tagging program. Regular 'hotspots' of whale sharks have been identified near Al Lith and near Al Qunfidhah. Preliminary results from whale sharks tagged in previous years indicate surprisingly limited movement of the Red Sea whale shark populations. Related studies are being initiated to investigate the plankton communities associated with whale shark movement patterns.

Fisheries analysis

In addition to movement, the human impact on reefs and fish populations need to be further studied. Like most oceans, the Red Sea faces the problem of overfishing, a problem acknowledged by Saudi authorities. In order to manage fisheries, the biology of targeted species must be understood first. The fisheries and larger scale marine food web related efforts at the University involve surveys throughout Saudi waters, and eventually aim to include the entire Red Sea.

The analysis of fisheries catch statistics is part of a joint Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) - KAUST effort that will be broadened to engage directly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The establishment of moorings with echo sounders will provide continuous observations of zooplankton and fish at selected sites. Additionally, food web studies will be carried out on reefs near Al Lith, but also include sampling in key mangrove and seagrass areas along the coast, such as in Khor Al Kharar (north of Thuwal).

Studies of the connectivity of fish populations will further contribute to this topic. Collections for these studies have initially been designed to assess the population genetics of clownfish. Classic population genetics are used
to get a rough idea of larval exchange among populations.

If the circumstances are favorable, these studies will be expanded to include actual tracking of individual larvae among reefs using microsatellite-based parentage analysis. Documenting ecologically and demographically relevant rates of larval exchange among reefs is by far the most powerful information available to inform design of MPAs.