Introduction

BACKGROUND

The Arabian or Persian Gulf forms an arm of the Indian Ocean extending into the Arabian Peninsula, an area that constitutes the inner part of the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) Sea Area – the “RSA.” This new term was coined to achieve unanimity in signing the 1978 Kuwait Regional Convention for Cooperation on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Pollution. The ROPME Sea Area also includes the Gulf of Oman and the Iranian and Omani waters of the Arabian Sea. This chapter uses the terms “Gulf” and “ROPME Sea Area,” or “RSA,” interchangeably.

The ROPME Sea Area is a relatively small, flooded valley-estuary with a surface area of 240,000 km2. It is approximately 1,000 km in length and 200–300 km in width, narrowing to only 54 km at the Strait of Hormuz. It is generally shallow, mostly less than 60 m deep, with an average depth of 35 m, but increasing to 100 m near the Strait of Hormuz. The western part of the RSA is very shallow (less than 5 m), with tidal flats extending up to 5 km. The bottom topography is generally featureless with mostly soft sediments. It is muddy in the northern and northwestern parts and sandy along the southern section, reflecting the largely biogenic origin of sediments in the area (Figure 13.1).

The intense sunlight and shallowness of the water makes the RSA highly productive, which has encouraged the establishment of well-developed shrimp and fin-fish fisheries in the area.