Fishermen are being warned about toeing the line when it comes to fishing sharks in the UAE’s waters.
The Ministry of Environment and Water recently issued a resolution calling for more regulations when it comes to the hunting and trading of sharks.
To take effect on 1st September, Ministerial Resolution 500 for the year of 2014 will see fishermen limited to hunting sharks in waters not less than five nautical miles from the shore and not less than three nautical miles from the islands of the UAE. This aims to help thwart the brutal practice of shark finning, in which live fish have their fins cut off and bodies dumped back into the sea. The regulation states that sharks must be brought fully into port.
Other restrictions include the prevention of hunting specific species stated in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. If accidentally caught in fishing equipment, the species must be released back to sea.
In addition, the decree also monitors the type of equipment that is used to catch sharks.
Companies will not be permitted to export sharks caught in local waters throughout the year. However, the import of sharks – whether fresh, frozen, dried, salted, smoked or canned, or in any other form – will be allowed.
Shipments of such materials must be accompanied with documents such as the original certificate of source of origin related for each shipment, original health certificate, commercial invoice, and the packing list for each shipment.
The resolution also allows the re-export of imported sharks, provided that permission is granted by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water.
