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Oceanographic and Biological Aspects of the Red Sea pp 327–354Cite as

Status of Red Sea Dugongs

Part of the Springer Oceanography book series (SPRINGEROCEAN)

Abstract

Dugongs (Dugong dugon), also known as ‘sea cows’, have captured the imagination of the general public ever since they were first scientifically named in the 18th century. Much of the research on dugongs has been undertaken in Australia and SE Asia and publications are rarely dedicated specifically to the Red Sea population of dugongs and their conservation status. This is a reflection of the relatively poor state of knowledge of Red Sea dugongs—a situation that has changed marginally in the case of Egypt through research work undertaken by the second author. Methods employed to count dugongs, in order to estimate the size of a particular population, vary according to the general nature of their habitats (e.g., close to shore in sheltered bays or over deeper water further offshore), the frequency of sightings and facilities available to the surveying team, both in terms of observation platforms (e.g., helicopter, fixed-wing aeroplane, drone, boat or car) and time that can be allotted to the task. Given the seasonal nature of their behaviour, it would seem necessary that surveys in particular areas extend over at least 12 months and preferably longer. Research on this species in the Red Sea began with largely anatomical and physiological work on dugongs that were accidentally killed or purposely netted. Today, they are protected throughout the region so studies have shifted, largely to observations of live animals in the wild and to data that can be collected from stranded carcasses. Meanwhile, much of the data on their distribution, both in the Red Sea and elsewhere, is based on tapping into the local knowledge of fishermen and, more recently, dive guides at marine resorts.

Keywords

  • Dugong Population
  • Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
  • Feeding Trails
  • Farasan Islands
  • Halophila Stipulacea

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the many biologists who have studied the Red Sea’s dugongs in recent years. Some, but not all, of their work is referenced in this review. Institutional cooperation with, and interest in, dugongs has been sustained, and mention must be made of The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The recent dugong studies in Egypt by Ahmed Shawky would not have been possible without the financial assistance of Rufford Small Grant (RSG: 17553-1, 21354-2), which is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks go to PADI for approving the ‘Dugong Conservation Distinctive Specialty Diver Course’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red Sea University, Port Sudan, Sudan

    Dirar Nasr

  2. Ministry of Environment, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, 30 Misr Helwan El-Zyrae Road, Maadi Technical Office of the Minister, Cairo, Egypt

    Ahmed M. Shawky

  3. Earth and Ocean Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland

    Peter Vine

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  1. Dirar Nasr
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  2. Ahmed M. Shawky
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  3. Peter Vine
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Correspondence to Dirar Nasr .

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  1. Center for Marine Geology, Saudi Geological Survey, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Dr. Najeeb M.A. Rasul

  2. Stewart Geophysical Consultants Pty. Ltd., College Park, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Dr. Ian C.F. Stewart

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Nasr, D., Shawky, A.M., Vine, P. (2019). Status of Red Sea Dugongs. In: Rasul, N., Stewart, I. (eds) Oceanographic and Biological Aspects of the Red Sea. Springer Oceanography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99417-8_18

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