‘The fish choose to swim away into the deep looking for cooler temperatures’

It’s not just diners who are paying the price. Ruba Haza tests the mood in the docks

UAE waters resemble a hot bath in the summer, so it is no wonder that local fish try to beat the heat in whatever way they can.

Fishermen and marine experts said that fish head into deeper waters in search of more favourable temperatures, which makes them harder to catch. That pursuit of deeper, cooler water means fish generally venture farther out to sea, again creating problems for fishermen.

“Fishing conditions can be linked to the weather because fish choose to swim away into the deep, looking for cooler temperatures,” said Rashid Al Zaabi, a fisherman from Kalba.

“That requires us to go miles away from the shore looking for fish under the burning sun.

“The weather affects both the fish and the fishermen, and that’s what leads to the hike in fish prices because the demand is higher than the available fish supplies.

“But this happens almost every summer and things should get better in August.”

Mr Al Zaabi said many fishermen choose not to go fishing in summer because the catch often does not cover the cost of the trip.

“Fishermen prefer to stay away from the sea during hot weather because we know the revenue will not cover the costs – workers, tools and fuel,” he said.

Dr Saif Al Ghais, executive director of the environment protection and development authority in RAK, said fish departing for cooler climes was a common phenomenon.

“Bottom-dwelling fish in big sizes like hamour, shari and safi can’t adapt to higher temperatures and choose to move away to deeper waters, where temperatures are cooler,” he said. “It’s normal during summer and definitely it’s not an easy task for fishermen because they need to make extra efforts to catch fish this time of the year.

“Water depth, currents and other elements also affect water temperatures as it’s 10°C higher in the Arabian Gulf, especially in the west compared with the east coast and Oman Sea.”

The head of Dibba Fishermen Association said that only 55 out of their 300 members went out to sea in the past week.

“The weather affects the marine life as well as it affects us, so some fishermen seize the opportunity and send their workers on holiday to save money as they know that they won’t be able to catch good amounts of fish during the heat,” said Sulaiman Al Khuddam.

“Some fish prices have increased 20 to 30 per cent in Dibba fish market, such as hamour and kingfish, but there are many cheaper alternatives that customers should consider until the weather gets cooler.”