UAE destroys “Lobster- breeding habitats” in Socotra Archipelago

SOCOTRA, July 22 (PA) – Fish-breeding habitats in the Socotra Archipelago are exposed to deliberate acts of vandalism and destruction by UAE fishing vessels, local source told Yemen Press Agency.

According to the local sources, the Lobster- breeding habitats in the archipelago are being indiscriminately bulldozed by fishing vessels belonging to the UAE occupation forces.

The sources added that the UAE occupation forces set up a factory for the canning of “cracks” worth 90 million rails.

They pointed out that this amount does not match the amount of wealth that UAE fishing vessels looting in the waters of Socotra, which is estimated in billions, in addition to the serious future damage caused by indiscriminate dredging on the marine environment in the Socotra archipelago.

The sources pointed out that the occupation authorities did not give fishermen any attention about the violations of UAE fishing vessels.

This led citizens to believe that these acts of sabotage of the marine environment in Socotra were deliberately caused by the occupation authorities in the province.

The acts of sabotage of the marine archipelago environment, comes after the UAE occupation tampered with the rare plant diversity of Socotra Island, by introducing varieties of exotic parasitic trees and planting them by force in the island, and uprooting the island trees, threatening the extinction of some rare plants to Socotra.

In July 2008, the UNESCO included Yemen’s Socotra archipelago in the the world natural heritage list.

E.M