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Coral reefs occur all around the southern offshore islands of Umm Al-Maradim, Qaruh and Kubbar. The upper portion of shallow water reefs are affected by the great variation in temperature from summer to winter. Their exposure during winter to low tides causes damage to the tips of the corals, which usually die. The western waters of the Gulf are turbid, but despite this, enough light reaches the coral reefs enabling the rock-building corals to expand in area and height. This turbidity does not affect other corals,namely the non reef - building soft corals. These are found in relatively deep turbid waters where light penetration is at a minimum. Since the soft corals feed on other marine creatures through their feeding polyps, they do not need to be associated with algae through symbiotic relationships. Soft corals can flourish under these conditions as long as there is a rocky sea-bed where the coral can anchor itself.
Kuwait's three coral islands are:
- Kubba
- Umm Al-Maradim
- Qaruh
are sand-covered and are surrounded by coastal fringe coral reefs. Each of the three islands has a large coral reef extending in a north-westerly direction until it drops into deep water. There are several coral reefs dotting the coast of Kuwait. They are located at Al-Funaitis, Al-Bida, Ras Al-Qulaiah and Dohat Az-Zor. Their corals are all rock-building reefs, and lie in shallow waters. They provide a haven for fish that frequent the coast.
The Arabian Gulf contains hundreds of steel structures related to the oil industry, including oil well platforms, loading terminals, and gas separation plants. These structures provide an excellent artificial anchorage for a vast number of plants and animals. Each structure represents a habitat for many shellfish, sponges, crabs, fish, worms and corals. All these creatures live together, being mutually beneficial. Over the years, the biological growth on some of the structures has exceeded four tons per structure, creating centers of attraction for migrant and wandering fish.
Most of the Arabian Gulf has a soft mud or sandy shale sea bed, which is the reason for the predominance of shrimping grounds. However, there are many locations where the sea bed is hard rock or sandy shale with some rock outcrops. These hard sea bottoms provide an environment that supports the growth of soft (non-rock-forming) corals, such as black corals, gorgonians, fan corals, and whip corals. They also provide an excellent anchorage for pearl oysters, as well as being rich fishing and jumbo shrimp grounds.
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