Rima Jabado takes DNA samples from sharks at the Abu Dhabi Fish Market in January this year.
Rima Jabado takes DNA samples from sharks at the Abu Dhabi Fish Market in January this year.

Shark population in Gulf waters higher than thought



The good news for anyone still haunted by the theme music to the film Jaws every time they step into the sea is that there are almost certainly no great white sharks cruising in the Arabian Gulf waters off the UAE.

Nor, according to the results from a unique year-long survey of the Gulf's shark population, is one likely to run into the equally notorious mako or oceanic whitetip - the species blamed for attacking five tourists, one fatally, in shallow water off the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh last December.

The even better news, from an ecological viewpoint, is that there are no fewer than 29 species of sharks out there, ranging in length from the white cheek - at 36 centimetres the smallest found - to the frankly intimidating great hammerhead, the largest example of which caught off the UAE was 3.82 metres long.

Oh, and there is a slim chance that swimmers could encounter the notoriously tetchy tiger, sandbar, grey reef and bull sharks, and even the creature most feared by generations of pearl divers - the sawfish, a monstrous member of the ray family, aka the carpenter shark. It is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) but is nevertheless clinging on to life in the Gulf.

Just over a year ago Rima Jabado, a Lebanese-born Canadian doctorate student at UAE University in Al Ain, embarked on the first scientific survey of the shark population of the Gulf, a scientific cul-de-sac that until then had been strangely ignored, despite worldwide concern about declining shark populations.

Popular wisdom, gleaned from fishermen, had it that there were probably about a dozen different species of shark out there - a number Ms Jabado found to be a wild underestimation within a few months of starting work.

The lack of knowledge, however, at least made designing her study a breeze.

"It was very easy," she says, laughing. "I needed to know everything; there was just no information."

But how to go about counting creatures few people ever see? Ms Jabado's ingenious if labour-intensive solution lay in the catches of the UAE's commercial fishermen. Since last October she and a team of volunteers have made more than 140 visits to the fish markets of the UAE, twice a month each to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and four times a month to Dubai.

In the process she has seen, identified, photographed and measured 14,627 individual sharks - among them 67 of the largest species of hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), capable of growing up to six metres in length and listed as endangered by the IUCN. More than half of these were caught by fishermen from Abu Dhabi.

Without a previously established baseline with which Ms Jabado can compare her results, she has no idea yet if the shark population is thriving or failing, but says she has been pleasantly surprised by the numbers she has seen "in these extreme environmental conditions".

"I didn't expect this amount of sharks, or species, in the Arabian Gulf," she says.

"Everyone says it is low on biodiversity because the conditions don't allow a lot of species to survive, but the diversity of sharks and rays I have found is comparable to the Red Sea, which is one of the seas with the highest biodiversity." Her key finding is that although there are at least 29 species present in the Gulf, just six types of shark account for just over 91 per cent of the total population.

At 33.59 and 31.73 per cent, the spottail (Carcharhinus sorrah) and the milk shark Rhizoprionodon acutus), which grow to a maximum of about 150cm and 100cm respectively, are by far the most numerous. Next is the common black tip (Carcharhinus limbatus, 11.06 pere cent of the total), which can grow to 250 centimetres and is regarded as "near threatened" (and potentially threatening: according to the Shark Trust it "should be treated with respect when stimulated by food"), followed by the Slit-eye (Loxodon macrorhinus, 8.19 per cent), the whitecheek (Carcharhinus dussumieri, 5.03 per cent and also threatened) and the Smooth-hound (Mustelus mosis, 1.41 per cent). None of these last three exceeds 150 centimetres in length.

Each one of the other 23 identified species accounts for less than 1% of the total population - and some are very rare indeed, including three Sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeous) landed in Ras Al Khaimah; the solitary tiger (Galeocerdo Cuvier) and Sawfish (Pristis zijsron), both from Sharjah, where the only two Grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) were also landed.

Thanks to the DNA samples Ms Jabado has harvested from more than 8,000 sharks, that tally of 29 species could grow even larger.

"Morphologically similar sharks can be two completely different species and this is something we are finding out only because of genetics," says Ms Jabado. Often, species can be told apart only by a single, obscure visual clue, "something missing morphologically, perhaps, and sometimes difficult to detect by eye in the field; or you might need fine measurements to determine, say, that the ratio between the first and second dorsal fin is less than 3:1, showing it is really a different species".

Ms Jabado now faces months of work in the lab, sequencing and analysing the 8,000 DNA samples. When the results are in they will be added to the online Fish Barcode of Life Initiative, a database run by the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the University of Guelph - and she is cautiously hopeful that some surprises will surface.

"There are a few sharks I haven't been able to identify, so maybe we have found a new species or two. I can't say definitely but hopefully the DNA work will be able to confirm that."

Some, however, such as the sawfish, are in danger of disappearing. "All the fishermen I talked to said 'Oh, it was all over the place, we used to use the saw for barbed wire for our houses', but now it's become so rare, not only here but across the world."

With 14 months of hands-on research, Ms Jabado now has data for two consecutive years from the months of October and November - and intends to press on at least for another year. What she has created already is a vital baseline for future research. A similar study carried out a decade from now, for instance, would expose any significant changes in species numbers. But if she can get funding, she would like to continue sampling fish catches for another two years, "so I can start looking at trends and migratory patterns".

Why, for instance, did three particular species of shark landed in abundance during August, September and October suddenly disappear from catches? One theory is that these are migratory species, or sharks that come to the area only to breed, but only year-on-year data can confirm this, and indicate whether or not they should be protected at certain times.

Ms Jabado also hopes her work will help the UAE to fulfil its commitment to the International Plan of Action for Sharks, adopted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Under the scheme, all countries where fishermen catch commercial quantities of sharks were obliged to develop a National Shark Plan by 2001, but barely 10 per cent have. "Progress in most states," says the FAO, "remains disappointing".

Ms Jabado says: "The UAE was a signatory to this code of conduct but 12 years down the line there is still no national plan of action for sharks in the UAE or in any other country in the region, for that matter. There are different types of data that need to be collected to be able to put together a national plan.

"You need to assess shark stocks in a country by addressing what species are there, what are the main threats that they're facing and look at numbers and abundance. None of this information has been available for the UAE."

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
FIGHT CARD

Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)

Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)

Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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The%20specs
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
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  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH DETAILS

Barcelona 0

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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450

Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000

Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

THE%20SWIMMERS
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Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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