Miral Launches First Dedicated Marine research & Rescue Centre

The 8,602 m2 centre will be a key contributor to marine-life conservation in the UAE.

The 8,602 m2 centre will be a key contributor to marine-life conservation in both the UAE and the wider region by conducting integrated research, rescue, rehabilitation, return and education programmes.

H.E. Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral, and a number of UAE officials and senior representatives from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment attended the event.

The centre will aim at improving the public’s knowledge and commitment to the conservation of the region’s marine wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems, leveraging the experience and knowledge gained from SeaWorld’s nearly 60 years of marine animal care and conservation, highlighted the report.

H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak said, “We are very proud to begin 2023, the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, with opening the first dedicated marine research and rescue centre in the region, Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Abu Dhabi.”

Led by a team of dedicated marine scientists, zoologists and subject matter experts in research, rescue and animal care, the centre will play an important role in research and conservation efforts in the region.

The centre’s research team will conduct fundamental and applied studies focusing on the marine ecology of the Arabian Gulf covering topics such as marine biodiversity, ecosystem resilience, sensitive wildlife conservation, critical habitats restoration, fisheries, pollution and wildlife health, said the report.

Scott Ross, Chairman of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said, “We are very proud of our partnership with Miral in bringing this first-of-its-kind center to the UAE.

Since 1965, SeaWorld has rescued more than 40,000 animals, and Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Abu Dhabi aims to pioneer a marine animal rescue network supporting animals in need in the UAE as well as the wider region.

Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Abu Dhabi’s aims to rescue sick, injured and orphaned marine animals in the Arabian Gulf and to provide life-saving rehabilitation with the goal of returning healthy animals back to their natural habitats.

To facilitate this goal, the centre will have a fleet of rescue vehicles that includes two custom-made rescue boats and a state-of-the art veterinary hospital for triage of animals in critical condition.

The centre will also have over 25 rescue pools, from large pools for marine mammals to smaller pools for fish, invertebrates and marine reptiles. Two of the larger pools are equipped with lifting floors, which will make access for treatment easier and less disruptive for the animals, report revealed.

An onsite lab at the center is also equipped with advanced rescue and rehabilitation capabilities including the ability to conduct in-house pathology analysis for wildlife.

The centre will also focus on applied research studies for marine ecosystem restoration with aquaculture-based projects including fish propagation, seagrass cultivation, coral reproduction as well as field projects focusing on critical habitats of Arabian Gulf waters such as seagrass, mangroves, oyster beds and coral reefs.

This research will only be made possible through some of the best subject matter researchers and scientists and by utilising the state-of-the-art laboratories and infrastructure of the centre, including three dry laboratories, a wet laboratory, and a 345m3 aquaculture facility.