UAQ fisherman snags whale shark in nets, releases it

An Emirati who caught an endangered whale shark said he was duty-bound, as a fisherman, to release it back into the sea.

Ali Al Kubaissi, from Umm Al Quwain, spotted the three-metre long whale shark during a fishing expedition last week after the movement of his boat’s fishing net indicated the presence of a large fish. After discovering the whale shark, his crew cut the net and freed it.

Mr Al Kubaissi said whale sharks are a migratory species and that it is the duty of every Emirati fisherman to preserve marine resources and the environment, both to reduce overfishing and to set a good example.