One of the riches that was available to us in this region before the discovery of oil was the Gulf’s abundant marine life. Even though oil revenues have changed nearly every element of our life in what is now the UAE, fishing remains a constant – but, as The National reported yesterday, this resource is under threat.
Slow but steady progress is being made to ensure that future generations will still be able to reap the riches of the Gulf. This includes an international ban on some species of threatened sharks, which a recent visit to Deira fish market showed seems to be upheld by the local fishing industry.
However the dozens of juvenile sharks, albeit of non-protected species, offered for sale hints that the industry might be unsustainable. Removing all ages of any species threatens the viability of the fish stock and in turn affects the entire marine ecosystem. If we want a fishing industry in the future, we need to care for it now.
