Hamour Fish Face Extinction, Says Official

A report by the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) — part of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation — described the fish as an “over-exploited stock” and said around 3,072 tonnes of hamour were caught in the UAE in 2007.

Abdulrazzaq Anwahi, fisheries adviser at the UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water said it is analysing the extent of damage to the ecosystem and could ban the sale of hamour less than 45-50 centimetres (18-20 inches) long.

The ministry was also studying the condition of 15 other types of fish that it believes could be endangered, he said.

“If the local fishermen don’t stop catching the young hamour, the entire species will be soon extinct,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of a fisheries conference in Dubai.

Last year the ministry began a campaign to restock hamour which resulted in the production of 23,000 young fish.

“And we will continue this campaign throughout this year to increase the volume of this very commercial fish,” he added.