Warning issued as two whale sharks spotted in Abu Dhabi

Environment agency workers call on public to leave the threatened fish alone

A whale shark spotted in Abu Dhabi near Al Raha. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Winston Cowie, marine policy manager at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi monitors a whale shark spotted in Abu Dhabi near Al Raha. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Winston Cowie, marine policy manager at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi monitors a whale shark spotted in Abu Dhabi near Al Raha. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

A whale shark seen in Al Raha in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

A whale shark is spotted at Al Raha in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

A whale shark is spotted at Al Raha in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

A whale shark is spotted at Al Raha in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Residents have been warned to steer clear of two whale sharks that have been spotted in Abu Dhabi's waters in recent weeks.

Whale sharks, which can grow to the size of a bus, pose no threat to humans but are listed as vulnerable species.

Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, who are monitoring the fish, said a juvenile whale shark returned to Al Raha after last being seen in the area, near Aldar headquarters, a week ago.

The agency had been monitoring it for six weeks and, after noticing it lost weight, began supplementing its diet with krill supplied by the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi.

Their plan is to continue feeding and monitoring the whale shark until it returns to the open waters.

Though they are the largest fish in the sea, whale sharks feed on small crustaceans. They are filter feeders, opening their large mouths to suck in water and filter out any plankton or krill. The remaining water is forced back out through their gills.

The agency is also monitoring a second whale shark nearby in Al Bahia. It warned people not to swim or dive with the seven-metre male to protect the whale shark. Fishing is also banned in the area.

"Considered endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species, whale sharks appear occasionally in the marinas and waterways of Abu Dhabi during this time of year and are not harmful," it said in September, when another whale shark was spotted in the same area.

“If you come across a whale shark, we urge you to not approach it and for boat drivers to keep a safe distance.”

Last month, marine experts removed a fishing hook caught in the juvenile whale shark's fin.

Security staff tipped off the agency and an employee jumped into the water to remove the fishing equipment.

“There were three hooks and the sinker was a spark plug, so it wasn’t the most sophisticated fishing operation,” said Winston Cowie, marine policy manager at the agency, who removed the hook.

“We have noticed there are a few fishing lines in the area, which are used by people fishing from the side of the canal. They will put some bait out and they will leave their line out for the day and come and collect it.

“The shark swims quite close to the side of the canal, so what we think happened was it just got inadvertently caught on one of these as it passed and it kept going.”

Mr Cowie said the shark was not upset by the removal

Whale sharks are believed to live as long as 130 years and are found in all warm waters of the world, although there are only thought to be around 7,000 left in the wild.

Despite their size, some have been captured and displayed in aquariums. A female whale shark with extensive abrasions was rescued from shallow waters in 2008 was briefly kept in Dubai’s Atlantis. However, the aquarium released it in 2010, after 19 months in captivity.

A tracker monitoring her movements fell off after 33 days, when she was in the waters off the coast of Qatar.

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi asked anyone who sees whale sharks to get in touch on 800555.