Rima W. Jabado PhD Candidate

Faculty of Science, Biology Department UAE University, Al Ain

SHARKS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

OUTLINE

›  Background on sharks

›  Status and threats

›  Research objectives

›  What we know about Gulf sharks

›  Current management initiatives

›  Shark fishery and fin trade

›  Management challenges

›  Priorities for conservation

BACKGROUND ›  Approximately 500 species worldwide ›  Large variety of sizes, shapes and lifestyles

›  k selected life histories ›  Long lived, slow growing, late maturing, low reproductive rates

›  Relatively less abundant so vulnerable to intensive pressure

›  Slow recovery once populations are depleted

STATUS AND THREATS (1) ›  Global harvests increasing since 1950’s ›  Catches also increased in 1980’s due to

increasing demand for shark fin soup ›  Estimated 26 to 73 million sharks killed p.a.

›  38 million traded for fins (Clarke et al. 2000)

›  90% decline in some shark populations ›  Many population collapses remain

unrecorded around the world ›  Overfishing, bycatch – longlines, drifnets,

shark control programs

›  Habitat destruction and pollution

›  1999: UN Code of Responsible Fisheries

›  2001: National Plan of Action for Sharks

›  UAE signatory but lacks data on its shark

fishery

›  Concerns over the lack of information and increasing pressures on sharks in

the Gulf

›  No definite species list or biological data

available

›  Research was needed to establish

baseline

 

STATUS AND THREATS (2)

RESEARCH  OBJECTIVES

1.  Gather information on the fishery characteristics and human dimensions of sharks – Interviews with fishermen

2.  Assess the status of commercially important shark stocks and determine

the species composition, abundance and distribution – Landing surveys 3.  Confirm species composition, abundance, distribution and investigate site

fidelity and migration patterns – Fisheries independent survey (tagging) 4.  Investigate and quantify the national and international trade in shark

products from the UAE – Market surveys and DNA barcoding 5.  Determine the ecological role and trophic position of two commercially

important species – Feeding ecology study 6.  Provide decision makers with solid data to develop and implement

management plans.

SHARKS IN THE GULF ›  ~ 30 species of sharks (Blegvad & Loppenthin, 1944; Basson et al., 1977; Sivasubramaniam, 1981; Carpenter et al., 1997; Bishop, 2003; Valinassab et al., 2006; Tourenq et al., 2007; Moore et al., 2010, Moore et al., 2011)

STATUS UNKNOWN

›  Life history data? ›  Population structure and distribution? ›  Abundance? ›  Species status? ›  Ecological relationships? ›  Biological information available from other areas ›  Applicability to the Gulf?

FISHERIES IN THE UAE

›  Tradition of pearl diving and fishing

›  Highly subsidized by the government

›  “artisanal” in nature

›  Input controls: federal laws 23 & 24

›  6,054 boats in 2009

›  Over 21,200 fishermen

›  About 50 landing sites around the country

›  No records about the shark fishery (‘other’)

CURRENT MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

›  Gear restrictions – longlining, trawling ban ›  Vessel and license restrictions – Emiratis

on board ›  Ministerial decree 542 for year 2008 and

216 for year 2011 on shark fishing –

seasonal ban, vessel and hook restrictions, fishing grounds, catch and effort data

›  Shark finning illegal ›  Two protected species – whale sharks,

sawfish

›  Marine protected areas ›  Offshore oil rigs

LANDING SITE SURVEYS

›  Landing site/market surveys since October 2010

›  Dubai surveyed four times a month

›  Other sites surveyed twice a month

›  Species, Total length, Sex, Tissue samples

›  Over 17,500 elasmobranchs sampled in 160 visits

›  11,452 sharks originating from the Gulf sampled

›  29 species confirmed

›  Some specimens remain unidentified

›  6 species represent over 91% of the total catches in the UAE

Ras  al  Khaimah  

Sharjah  Dubai  

Abu  Dhabi  

›  5th largest exporter of shark fins in the world – REGIONAL HUB (Fowler et al., 2005; Hareide et al., 2007; WildAid, 2007)

›  Trucks arrive daily from Oman full of sharks and fins

›  Bags of dried fins brought from other Emirates, Gulf countries, Iran and Africa (West and East)

›  Over 6300 sharks sampled from Oman

›  37 species identified including whale sharks, oceanic white tips, threshers, makos and hammerheads

TRADE IN SHARKS: DUBAI

TRADE IN SHARKS UAE capture production of sharks and rays reported to FAO from 1986 to 2009 (in tons)

UAE exports of shark products from 1976 to 2008 in tons

(FAO  FishStat,  2001)    

MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES ›  Fisher knowledge shows declines in shark numbers in the past 5-10 years ›  Still little information available on the shark fishery and sharks in the Gulf ›  Managed as part of overall net fishery ›  Lack of enforcement, compliance, legislation ›  No logbooks or observer programs ›  No species-specific identification ›  No education, outreach, awareness or capacity ›  No management for recreational fishing – Comparable harvest to commercial fishery? ›  Too many information gaps

IUCN Red Listing

3  

14  15  

2   3  

IUCN  Red  List  status  of  sharks  from  Oman  (37  species)  

DD  

NT  

VU  

EN  

LC  

2  

14  8  

2   3  

IUCN  Red  List  status  of  sharks  from  the  UAE  (29  species)  

DD  

NT  

VU  

EN  

LC  

PRIORITIES FOR CONSERVATION ›  Catch and effort / trade data

›  Rigorous scientific information (biological data) to enable stock assessments

›  Fisheries controls

›  Effective monitoring and enforcement – independent observers

›  Build research capacity and increase awareness – workshops, symposia,

stakeholder involvement

›  Species ID guides

›  Support for research and management – central coordination

›  Cross-jurisdictional management (highly migratory species)

›  FUNDING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ›  Special thanks to my supervisors Dr. Aaron Henderson, Prof. Waleed

Hamza, Dr. Saif Al Ghais ›  To the fishermen for participating in the survey and allowing me to collect

my data ›  To all my volunteers for assisting me in the field ›  To the various groups and organization that have supported or funded my

project

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!