DIVERS HELP TO PRESERVE SHARK POPULATIONS OFF UAE COAST
Nick Webster joins the first underwater workshop designed to give human assistance to the endangered fish
At first it seems like a shadow, or just another large fish swimming in the shallow waters off Dibba Rock on the east coast of the UAE.
But it soon becomes clear the sea is teeming with sharks, some as big as two metres in length. That was the experience of divers taking part in shark education workshops as part of a wider national conservation programme for vulnerable species.
Populations of blacktip reef sharks have been dwindling over the past two decades, the result of overfishing, plastic pollution and coastal development that has destroyed segments of their natural habitat in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf.
That is beginning to change, as divers discovered on the first weekend of a series of workshops hosted by the International Sharks Educational Institute.
Experts aim to educate divers to help monitor population numbers around the nation’s coast, where 23 shark species are classified as endangered or critically endangered.
Fernando Reis, executive director of the non-profit Sharks Educational Institute, said lessons are a good opportunity to learn how to deal with shark interactions.
“During the four dives in Dibba there were 25 sightings of blacktip reef sharks,” he said.
“Dive centre instructors said they have seen as many as 10 sharks at the same time.
“This suggests populations are improving and there is a local shark community that deserves to be well protected. It is important divers recognise shark behaviour and can identify certain species,” Mr Reis said.
A shark encounter, no matter how brief, is an exhilarating experience and becoming rarer by the year.
As perfectly evolved apex predators, sharks play a crucial role in the survival of marine ecosystems, and their decline is having a domino effect across the planet.
Without healthy numbers of sharks, lower-level predators, such as rays, skates and smaller sharks are not kept in check, allowing them to overeat and wipe out their own prey.
The SEI has teamed up with Freestyle Divers of Fujairah, a company with a strong conservation ethos, with big plans to help preserve the Fujairah coastline. Darryl Owen, managing partner of Freestyle Divers, said an artificial reef is helping to restore shark populations in the area by encouraging new ecosystems to flourish.
“The plan now is to use sonar mapping in the bay to try to open up new areas for divers and help conserve these sharks,” he said
“We know there is a big dropoff behind Dibba Rock, and the water is very deep there. “We have started plotting co-ordinates where fishermen are finding large supplies of fish, so we think there could be another undiscovered reef there.
“It could be natural, or a shipwreck, but it seems to be teeming with wildlife. It is exciting to discover what is there.”
The first stage of an artificial reef was planted in the bay in 2006, with a series of balls. The second stage was built in 2009, with a pyramid of concrete triangles added to encourage new coral growth.
“We would like to make the ocean more accessible to people who don’t dive, and make it more interesting for photographers and videographers to encourage them to document their discoveries,” Mr Owen said. “This should encourage people to look after these environments.
“When you drop down, it is like swimming in an aquarium. When people experience this for the first time, there is a sense of wonderment.”
One of the largest areas of biodiversity in the country is at Dibba Rock. Recreating this with artificial reefs on the west coast would take 50 years, Mr Owen said. “We should preserve what we have here, otherwise it could be lost for ever.
“In Fujairah, there is a lot of consciousness about responsible development with the environment in mind. Lessons are being learnt from the other parts of the UAE and being applied here intelligently.”
In 2008, a red tide of toxic algae wiped out large populations of fish. Shark numbers in the bay off Dibba Rock, in the Gulf of Oman, are only now recovering.
The coastguard monitors commercial activity in the protected zone to ensure sharks are not caught by fishermen, but some are still appearing in fish markets.
British conservationist Kayleigh Hyslop, who is helping to monitor the area, said shark numbers are a good indication of a healthy environment.
“This is a protected area, but I’ve picked up at least five fishing lines during dives here in the past month,” she said.
“We know shark numbers have declined globally by between 90 and 99 per cent in the past 50 years.
“If we don’t look after their environment, then many species could be lost forever, and that would have a devastating effect on our oceans. The message on sharks is lost; people don’t understand how important they are. If they go, we all go.”
Conservationists working at the dive school in Dibba recently reported a rare sighting of a tiger shark in the area.
“To see this number of juvenile sharks in the water shows the situation is improving,” Mr Reis said.
“The sharks we spotted were moving very fast, but we could see one or two were pregnant.”
The next diving workshop is on January 26-27 at the Beach Rotana Spa Hotel, Abu Dhabi.