Fish vanishing from UAE waters due to overfishing

The Kuwaiti research vessel, Bahith II, which set sail from Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed port on Thursday to carry out a fish resources assessment survey in the UAE waters. - Photo by Ryan Lim

Hammour, shaari, farsh, kanaad, UAE's most popular fish, are about to disappear from the sea. Less than 10 per cent of these fish are still surviving in the UAE waters, an amount considered "critically endangered" by officials and fishermen alike in the country.
"These species are fished three times more their sustainable limit. The situation is critical and change needs to happen now," stressed Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, executive director of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity sector at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD).
A definite step towards change was taken on Thursday, when EAD signed an agreement with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MCCAE) to assess the situation and plan a comprehensive recovery path for UAE's fish.
With a deadline in 2018, the agreement has nine projects, starting with a fish assessment stock and it also includes unifying data and plans for fisheries management across UAE, reviewing fishing laws.
"In most countries, when fish stock reaches 30 per cent, they stop fishing to give fish a chance to replenish its population," pointed out Dr. Al Dhaheri.
For the first time ever, MCCAE took such a measure earlier this year, when it banned the fishing and trading of shaari and safi fish species during their reproduction season and March and April.
"The current state of our fishery demands our attention and our current and future collaboration to re-build fish stocks," said Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
According to him, 70 per cent of the world's fish population is fully exploited, overexploited or in crises. UAE's fish fits into this last category.
EAD has conducted detailed study of fish stocks in Abu Dhabi waters for the past 15 years. The results showed that at least 13 species have been harvested beyond sustainable levels, accounting for about 80 percent of the current commercial catch and 88 percent of the commercial fishery revenue.
For some of these species, the studies have alarming results. It is estimated that the hamour (orange-spotted grouper) has dropped to 6 per cent of the population size, while shaari (spangled emperor) and farsh (painted sweetlips) have reached 7 per cent.
"In 2015, we engaged with fisheries stakeholders across the UAE, who corroborated what our science is telling us - that we have severely overexploited commercial fishery," said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of EAD.
"A long term and consistent fisheries management is essential because the nature of the fish stock in the UAE waters, like hamour, shaari and kanaad requires a period of 15 to 20 years to move from a severely overexploited status to a fishery that has recovered," she added.
To start with, EAD and MCCAE have employed a research Kuwaiti vessel, Bahith II, to carry out a fish resources assessment survey in the UAE waters. The 13 members team of specialists from MCCAE, EAD and New Zealand, as well as crew, sailed off from Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed port on Thursday. Over the next three months, and again from September till December, they will survey a total of 46,898 square kilometres of UAE's waters.
900 caves for fish to breed off UAE coasts
Dr Thani bin ahmed Al-zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, on Thursday announced a plan to install 900 man-made caves in protected marine areas off Ajman, Umm al Quwain (UaQ), Ras al Khaimah and the Eastern Region, to create a favourable environment for marine life and enhance live fish stock in the country's waters.
The three-phase project, to begin in april with each phase stretching over a period two months, will provide safe breeding places for fish in the subsea structures.
In the first phase, 300 concrete caves will be immersed off Ajman and UAQ. The third phase will begin in the third quarter of next year.
The minister, who was speaking to fishermen during a meeting, said the caves are environment-friendly and will help enhance sustainable fishing and save the fishermen's time and effort. The project is part of his ministry's efforts to address issues faced by the UAE's fish resources, said Dr Thani bin Ahmed. - Wam
silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
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Silvia Radan

silvia@khaleejtimes.com