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Baby shark gets a home
at Sharjah Aquarium

A new member in the form of a baby blacktip reef shark has joined the Sharjah Aquarium family and will be kept in quarantine until she is large enough for display.

The new member named Amber was born in the main tank exhibit on August 7 and measures slightly over 50cm in length.

The black tip sharks are a major feature in Sharjah Aquarium’s ocean exhibits and can be viewed from the two underwater acrylic viewing tunnels, designed to educate and entertain visitors.

“We have immense respect for marine life. Yet, people still need to be educated about the fear of extinction of these species. Blacktip reef sharks are graceful and beautiful animals, and are very shy. We hope the display of Amber will provide visitors with an insight into the lives of the creatures and the dangers they face,” said Mahmoud Deemas, Marine Operations Supervisor at Sharjah Aquarium.

Blacktip reef sharks are found close to the shores of Khor Fakkan on the east coast of Sharjah but little is known about their kind. As part of the Aquarium’s motive to conserve oceanic life, display of Amber hopes to raise awareness on their decline in numbers due to over-fishing and growing global trade in shark fins.

Earlier this year, Sharjah Aquarium divers had successfully picked up a 1.34-metre-long female blacktip reef shark from Shark Island, Khor Fakkan, who is currently displayed along with 250 species of UAE marine life.

“Unfortunately the unique Shark Island is under threat. Many visitors leave behind rubbish, and fishermen leave nets and lines and garbage from their boats. Divers like to spear gun large fish which has resulted in a sharp decline in schools of giant trevally and blacktip reef sharks,” said Kerwin Porter, Curator of Sharjah Aquarium.

The Aquarium, part of Sharjah Museums Department’s (SMD) family of museums, actively participates in the protection and preservation of the marine environment through educational programs and exhibits.

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