Aquacultures & Fisheries

Abu Dhabi’s Marine Lives Comeback

Sea turtle being released into Abu Dhabi waters as part of marine conservation efforts, representing the successful rehabilitation of over 1,000 turtles since 2020 and growing nesting populations — A rehabilitated sea turtle returns to Abu Dhabi waters. Since 2020, over 1,000 sea turtles have been successfully rescued, treated, and released as part of the emirate’s comprehensive marine conservation program, contributing to a 28% increase in hawksbill turtle nesting success. Photo credit: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)

Imagine walking along Abu Dhabi’s coastline today, you might not immediately sense what’s happening beneath the surface. But I have the numbers to tell a remarkable story — one of the most successful marine wildlife recoveries documented anywhere. After decades of decline, species that once seemed headed toward local extinction are thriving.

The most striking recovery belongs to the dugong, that gentle giant of the seagrass beds. In 2024, aerial surveys counted over 3,500 dugongs in Abu Dhabi waters — a 20% increase from previous estimates and the world’s second-largest population after Australia. 20% of sightings were mother-calf pairs, clear evidence of a population rebuilding itself naturally.

The transformation began in earnest in 2018 when Abu Dhabi banned surface fishing nets after research showed these nets were drowning 23 dugongs annually. The response was immediate deaths dropped by 50% within one year. Beneath the headline achievement is a quarter century of patient work: establishing the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in 2007, surveying 7,000 square kilometers of seagrass, and safeguarding corridors where these ancient mariners could live undisturbed.

Sea turtles present their own comeback narrative. The waters now support over 6,000 turtles across four species, with hawksbill turtles showing a 28% increase in nesting success between 2022 and 2024 — from 193 to 247 nests. More telling still is what happened in 2023: the first green turtle nest ever recorded on Abu Dhabi’s beaches. For decades, all green turtles had migrated to Oman for nesting. Their decision to stay suggests something fundamental has shifted in the quality of local habitat.

And since 2020, over 1,000 sea turtles have been rescued, treated, and successfully returned to the wild through partnerships between the Environment Agency and marine centers. The 72% hatching success rate on protected beaches like Saadiyat Island represents the restoration of ancient nesting behaviors that urbanization had disrupted.

Perhaps most remarkable is what’s happening in the coral reefs and fish communities. The Sustainable Fisheries Index, a measure of how many fish stocks are harvested at sustainable levels jumped from 8.9% in 2018 to an extraordinary 97.4% by 2024.

In recent months, researchers documented 55 nuaimi fish — a species rarely sighted in years past. More dramatically, they recorded the first-ever white-spotted grouper in Abu Dhabi waters, a species now officially registered on international databases as present in these waters. They’re clear indicator showing that the entire marine food web is rebuilding complexity.

*The whitespotted grouper is not considered critically endangered but its presence in Abu Dhabi waters is rare. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi*

The coral restoration program demonstrates how human intervention can accelerate natural recovery. Over one million coral colonies have been transplanted since 2021, achieving a remarkable 95% survival rate. Around these restored reefs, fish biomass and diversity have increased by 50%. The corals themselves have adapted to the extreme conditions of the Arabian Gulf representing some of the most heat-tolerant populations globally, suggesting they may serve as climate refugia as ocean warming accelerates elsewhere.

The recovery extends to entire ecosystems. Mangrove forests, restored across 7,500 hectares, now support not just fish nurseries but complex food webs including the 700 dolphins that call these waters home. The Al Wathba wetlands, once degraded, now host over 4,000 greater flamingos and recorded 601 flamingo chicks in 2024 — the highest breeding success on record.

What’s instructive about Abu Dhabi’s approach is how it balances protection with active restoration. The Sheikh Zayed Protected Areas Network covers 6,570 square kilometers, but within these boundaries, scientists are actively transplanting corals, cultivating seagrass beds, and releasing millions of juvenile fish raised in hatcheries. The Aquaculture and Marine Studies Center has released 59 million juvenile finfish and 96 million juvenile prawns, essentially rebuilding fish populations from the ground up.

The science underlying this recovery is rigorous. NYU Abu Dhabi researchers have published over 150 peer-reviewed papers documenting the process, while systematic monitoring programs have tracked populations for 25 years. Satellite telemetry reveals dugong movement patterns, genetic analysis maps population connectivity, and aerial surveys provide population counts with international-standard methodology. The United Nations recognized the effort as a World Restoration Flagship.

Abu Dhabi’s example illustrates three key insights for recovery. First, restoration must complement habitat protection to speed progress. Second, eliminating the most harmful impacts, like damaging gear, pays off immediately. Third, recovery is only possible when ecosystems are treated as whole systems, from seagrass to apex predators.

Most encouraging is the self-sustaining nature of what’s emerging. The 20% mother-calf pairs among dugongs, the expanding turtle nesting sites, the return of rare fish species, these suggest ecosystems rebuilding their own resilience. The restored coral reefs are spawning naturally, seagrass beds are expanding beyond restoration sites, and fish populations are supporting both conservation goals and sustainable fishing industries.

At first glance, Abu Dhabi’s coastline may appear much the same as it did decades ago. Yet beneath, ecosystems once declared lost are returning, nurtured by protection, restoration, and time. If our persistence keeps pace with nature’s — a recovery is possible.