The fifty foot long blue whale passed by Oman's capital city at the same time as Muscat's newly opened Marina was hosting an international power boat racing championship. Members of Oman's Whale and Dolphin Rescue Team, concerned for the whale's safety among power boats and the usual fleets of fishing vessels, monitored the whale's progress along the coast, before it finally turned north and headed out to sea.

Since the blue whale sighting, many other whales and dolphins have been sighted near Muscat. Species observed just three to four kilometres off the capital's shores include the Bryde's or tropical whale (Balaenoptera edeni), the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). There has also been a sighting of two whales identified as either melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) or pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata). The two species are extremely difficult to tell apart at sea. Neither species has been seen in Oman, or the region, before.

As well as all the sightings, which is not particularly unusual for Oman, a number of dead whales and dolphins were also found during the same period. Sadly, this is also not particularly unusual and neither is their cause of death, which is generally attributable to fisheries activities. However, far greater attention is now paid to Oman's whales and dolphins and 1997 will see the official launch of the Whale and Dolphin Society of Oman, a non-government organisation dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans. The Society will begin its activities with a series of educational and research programmes, followed by community management programmes, and is set to become one of the region's leading environmental organisations.

International Year of the Coral Reef
1997 - International Year of the Coral Reef. A worldwide campaign for coral reef conservation was launched in the New Year by the International Coral Reef Initiative, US Department of State, Washington DC. Declaration of 1997 as the Year of the Coral Reef came following recently released figures that indicated over 10% of the world's coral reefs have been degraded beyond recovery and a further 20% may be lost over the next fifteen years.

The value, both realised and potential, of coral reefs can be viewed in economic terms, for example in supporting industries such as fisheries and tourism and by physical protection of shorelines against the forces of erosion, in scientific terms, such as the value of reefs to research and education, and in intrinsic terms, for example the value of reefs to biodiversity and as components of marine ecosystems. All of these values apply to the coral reefs of the Arabian region, which are extensive not only in the Red Sea, but also in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf.

Like elsewhere in the world, many of these reefs are suffering the effects of increased human activity. Impacts have been particularly acute in this region due to rapid development over the past few decades. In Saudi Arabia, the decision by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development to protect coral reefs at the Farasan Islands (see Arabian Wildlife 1996/1997 Vol.3, No.1) is a positive contribution to coral reef conservation.

The Sultanate of Oman plans to initiate several programmes as part of its contribution to the Year of the Coral Reef. These will begin with the clearance of abandoned fishing nets and litter from coral reefs in the capital area, particularly around the newly decreed Dimaaniyat Islands National Nature Reserve. During 1997, Oman also hopes to begin implementation of a National Coral Reef Management Plan, the result of extensive surveys, consultations and workshops conducted throughout 1996.

Khor Kalba designated as a Nature Reserve
The successful designation of Khor Kalba in the United Arab Emirates as a Nature Reserve (see Arabian Wildlife 1996/1997 Vol.3, No.1) was largely the result of efforts by the Arabian Leopard Trust, which conducted surveys of the area and produced a management proposal for the protection of the khor.

In 1997, the Arabian Leopard Trust will be conducting similar surveys in the valuable and fascinating coastal region of Umm al Quwain on the Arabian Gulf shoreline of the UAE. Both underwater and terrestrial environments will be surveyed and documented, and a detailed management plan will be drawn up, proposing the area for nature reserve status.

Sea Turtle Workshop
Northern Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Workshop and Strategic Planning Session - Bhubaneswar, India
13-18 January 1997
The Marine Turtle Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission meets in Bhubaneswar in January to review information on marine turtles in the Northern Indian Ocean and work out strategies for conservation of the five species of turtles known in the region. All of the five species are in danger of extinction, not only here, but throughout their worldwide range.

The Arabian region is of great importance to marine turtles with many of the world's most important nesting beaches and feeding grounds situated here. It is noteworthy that one of the sponsors of the workshop in January is the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Turtles migrate great distances and often cross international borders whilst travelling between feeding and nesting grounds. Perhaps the major challenge for turtle conservation is to ensure international cooperation between countries harbouring nesting, feeding and migrating populations. Two countries from the region are attending this year's workshop; Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.