The fourth Maldives Marine Science Symposium has commenced. The two-day symposium was inaugurated on August 13 by the Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan and the Director General of Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI) Shafiya Naeem.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, the fisheries minister emphasised the significance of preserving and maintaining the environment. The minister highlighted the importance of the symposium to gather the relevant research and data to protect and sustain the marine environment. He noted all development projects that affect the marine environment must be carried out with respect to the data and information obtained through research.
MMRI revealed 34 papers have been submitted to the symposium, across six main themes. The research themes of this year’s symposium include corals and coral restoration, reef ecology, marine mega-fauna, seagrass and mangroves, fisheries and management, and plastic pollution.
The symposium is attended by a large number of local and foreign marine researchers. This year’s symposium is the fourth edition of the Maldives Marine Science Symposium, which was first held by MMRI in 2016.