By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Hydrocarbon Remediation Project, HYPREP, has marked the World Polycaete Day 2025 with the launch of Benthic monitoring Programme in the creek of Bomu, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Project Coordinator, HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, while marking the Day explained that the monitoring exercise of polycaetes (Marine worms) in the creek of Bomu, Gokana LGA, was part of the Project’s programme to ascertain the level of biodiversity recovery following the ongoing shoreline remediation and mangroves restoration ongoing in the area.

Zabbey also said the benthic study will help establish the link between the possible prevalence of different species of polycaetes at the Bomu Shoreline, biodiversity recovery and HYPREP’s shoreline remediation and mangrove restoration efforts in Ogoni.

According to him, the marine organisms are not only indicator species but they also play important roles in marine food webs and ecosystems, and that the study will enable HYPREP track improvement in the ecosystem.

In company of the Project Coordinator was Professor Scott Pegg, Professor of Political Science at the Indiana University, Indianapolis who planted a symbolic mangrove at the Bomu Creek and commended HYPREP for its efforts in restoring oil-degraded mangrove areas in Ogoni. Over the years, Professor Pegg has carried out some humanitarian and community intervention programmes in Ogoni.

The International Polycaete Day is celebrated on July 1st, dedicated to the celebration and study of polychaetes also known as bristle worms, and in honour of the birthday of Dr. Kristian Fauchald, a renowned polychaete scientist. They are a diverse group of marine worms found in various marine environments.

He said: “In monitoring the improvement in the environment, our best bet are the marine worms. These guys (marine worms) are permanently here. They are always very adaptive. Increase in their diversities or species richness will indicate improvement in the ecosystem we are working on.

“We are not using one indicator like the presence of fishes. Fishes are important to the livelihood of the people. But these marine worms form the base of food chains in the ecosystem. They serve as food to the fishes, If they are not there, the fishes will have nothing to eat.”

Meanwhile, the PC also made it known that the monitoring will be done quarterly and holds some prospect for undergraduate and graduate interns on the Project to bud their horns in environmental science research.

He (Zabbey) said local institutions are partnering with HYPREP to further advance environmental research while HYPREP is in talks with the University of Port Harcourt to establish a Chair in Wetland Research, with focus on restored mangrove areas to continue monitoring post restoration, describing it as an intergenerational monitoring programme.

In company of the Project Coordinator was Professor Scott Pegg, Professor of Political Science at the Indiana University, Indianapolis who planted a symbolic mangrove at the Bomu Creek and commended HYPREP for its efforts in restoring oil-degraded mangrove areas in Ogoni. Over the years, Professor Pegg has carried out some humanitarian and community intervention programmes in Ogoni.

It will be recalled that HYPREP commenced the second phase of fish stock assessment to track improvement of biodiversity in rehabilitated mangrove areas in the Bomu Creek. This is to correlate the relationship between mangrove restoration and fish stock improvement.