Plan to save sharks from jaws of extinction

The government has announced a four-year plan to save dozens of shark and ray species on the brink of extinction.

The National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 20182021 gives concrete steps to develop public awareness and strict enforcement of laws to protect sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras.

“The plan is part of the Ministry’s strategy to preserve the UAE’s biodiversity, and ensure the long-term survival of sharks and rays,” said Hiba Al Shehhi, acting director of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s biodiversity department.

The Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman are home to 43 shark and 29 ray species. Of those, 40 per cent are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species.

The report’s data was largely based on the research on fisheries, trade, sharks and rays by Dr Rima Jabado, regional co-chairwoman of the Indian Ocean IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group and a leading contributor to the action plan.

“The report was prepared because there was a need to pull together the available information on sharks and rays in the UAE and develop a plan to improve their conservation and management,” said Dr Jabado, the founder and lead scientist of Gulf Elamso Project.

The ministry has released the UAE Shark Assessment Report, its first overview of national shark research and conservation policies. Its database will be used as a baseline for the conservation plan.

Priorities were developed through meetings and workshops with government authorities and non-government organisations, including the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Emirates Wildlife Society World Wildlife Fund.

The ministry must continue to work closely with these authorities, and local and regional research groups for the plan to succeed, Dr Jabado said.

“The plan outlines some of the key immediate actions in detail,” she said.

“But these should focus on improving species-specific data collection from landings, undertaking research on critical habitats and most importantly, implementing our current legislation, especially those dealing with the protection of threatened species such as the green sawfish, one of the most threatened marine species in the world.”

Fishermen have reported declining shark catches as their populations are quickly dwindling. Catches are now dominated by six species of shark, the action plan said.

Sharks are highly prized by commercial and recreational fishermen for their fins, meat and gill plates. They represent about 1.5 per cent of total catch by commercial fisheries, the report said. Little of this is destined for local dinner plates.

“The country appears to be serving as a transit hub and processing point for many shipments from the Middle East and North Africa,” the action plan said. “Data on species traded and information on trade dynamics remain challenging to collect.”

Apart from overfishing, shark populations have suffered from land and sea pollution, coastal development, tourism activities, habitat alternation and climate change.

“However, the magnitude of these potential impacts is likely to be small in comparison to fishing,” the plan said.

A ban on fishing all sharks and rays during the main breeding season from February to June must be enforced if the species were to survive, Dr Jabado said.

Sharks mature slowly and produce few young each year, making them easily susceptible to overfishing.

It takes years for the species to recover.

High-risk species such as the green sawfish, whale sharks and hammerheads have benefited from targeted management.

The action plan will be reviewed and revised after four years.

Targeted management of shark species and tight control of fishing these creatures in breeding season is important