أولويات البحث العلمي في مجالات البيئة البحرية و الثروة السمكية في قطاع غزة – فلسطين

Scientific research has a great importance in the areas of development and sustainable development pursued by the international scientific parties. Scientific researches on seas and oceans and their biological resources have formed the backbone of sustainable development in many countries of the world. Since decades, the Gaza Strip suffers from various environmental, political, economic and social crises that affected the reality of scientific researches concerning the marine and coastal environments and fisheries. Therefore, these researches seemed to be few and scattered and they need to be re-formulated. Overthe past decades, there was no real institutional or scientific interest to the marine environment and its living resources, which were depleted in an unsustainable fashion in the Gaza Strip due to over-population, limited fishing area, over-fishing and pollution of the marine environment with different pollutants especially wastewater which adversely impacted the health of the marine ecosystem and its biological content. The current study aims at identifying research priorities in the areas of marine environment and fishery resources despite the weakness of the human and technical potential and the apparent absence of the relevant departments and research centers in the Gaza Strip.The current study achieved its objective by depending on the researcher's observations, scientific visits, field surveys, interviews and discussions with fishermen and relevant officials in addition to the available scientific data and literature reviews.The subjects having a research priority fall under three main themes including the issues of marine biodiversity, fisheries and fish farming, and 483pollution of marine environment. The theme of marine biodiversity discusses the topics of classification of marine fishes, assessment of the status of the globally threatened marine turtles, study of birds and mammals inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean, diversity of marine invertebrates, diversity and uses of marine algae, and study of the nature and risks of the migratory lessepsian marine biota, in addition to fish diseases and parasites. The theme of fisheries and fish farming issuesdeals mainly with fish stock assessment and fishing gear in addition to the importance of aquaculture in the satisfaction of food security and provision of animal protein to the Palestinian community due to the declining fishery production.The third theme concerning the pollution of the marine environment deals with the hazards imposed by both wastewater and brine of the current and future seawater desalination plants on the health of the marine ecosystem. Finally, the study recommends the establishment of marine science departments and research centers within the Palestinian institutions and universities. It also recommends the encouragement of specialized scientific researches and studies that contribute much to the protection and prosperity of the marine environment and sustainable fisheries in the Gaza Strip.Scientific research has a great importance in the areas of development and sustainable development pursued by the international scientific parties. Scientific researches on seas and oceans and their biological resources have formed the backbone of sustainable development in many countries of the world. Since decades, the Gaza Strip suffers from various environmental, political, economic and social crises that affected the reality of scientific researches concerning the marine and coastal environments and fisheries. Therefore, these researches seemed to be few and scattered and they need to be re-formulated. Overthe past decades, there was no real institutional or scientific interest to the marine environment and its living resources, which were depleted in an unsustainable fashion in the Gaza Strip due to over-population, limited fishing area, over-fishing and pollution of the marine environment with different pollutants especially wastewater which adversely impacted the health of the marine ecosystem and its biological content. The current study aims at identifying research priorities in the areas of marine environment and fishery resources despite the weakness of the human and technical potential and the apparent absence of the relevant departments and research centers in the Gaza Strip.The current study achieved its objective by depending on the researcher's observations, scientific visits, field surveys, interviews and discussions with fishermen and relevant officials in addition to the available scientific data and literature reviews.The subjects having a research priority fall under three main themes including the issues of marine biodiversity, fisheries and fish farming, and 483pollution of marine environment. The theme of marine biodiversity discusses the topics of classification of marine fishes, assessment of the status of the globally threatened marine turtles, study of birds and mammals inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean, diversity of marine invertebrates, diversity and uses of marine algae, and study of the nature and risks of the migratory lessepsian marine biota, in addition to fish diseases and parasites. The theme of fisheries and fish farming issuesdeals mainly with fish stock assessment and fishing gear in addition to the importance of aquaculture in the satisfaction of food security and provision of animal protein to the Palestinian community due to the declining fishery production.The third theme concerning the pollution of the marine environment deals with the hazards imposed by both wastewater and brine of the current and future seawater desalination plants on the health of the marine ecosystem. Finally, the study recommends the establishment of marine science departments and research centers within the Palestinian institutions and universities. It also recommends the encouragement of specialized scientific researches and studies that contribute much to the protection and prosperity of the marine environment and sustainable fisheries in the Gaza Strip