JEDDAH — Microscopic algae is the cause of fish dying in Al-Arbaeen Lake in downtown Jeddah, an expert revealed on Thursday. Professor Futoon Al-Saigh of King Abdulaziz University's Science College said she found microscopic algae in the nares of the fish in the lake. "I found the same algae also in the nares of dead sardine from Al-Nowrus Lake. In both lakes, the fish are dying due to these microscopic algae. The algae grow due to the low temperature of the lake water and the low level of salinity. There is also a concentration of nutritional solutions due to the flow of sewage into the lake," said Al-Saigh. She said the dead fish would remain on the floor of the lake as the algae begin to grow due to the new nutritional solutions. "We were able to isolate the algae from the fish in a separate container. It was not an easy task. It was not easy to find out the classification of the algae but thanks to the technology of King Abdulaziz University Natural Marine Products Unit, we were able to get the job done," said Al-Saigh. Al-Saigh said she had a meeting with representatives of the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection, Marine Sciences College, Marine Livestock and King Abdulaziz University Natural Marine Products Unit. "Several experts presented various possible causes for the dying of the fish in Al-Arbaeen Lake. All four representatives agreed that the most likely cause of the fish deaths is the growth of the algae. The meeting concluded that they will put in place proposals to prevent the growth of the algae to protect the fish of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," said Al-Saigh.
