Minister of Environment and Water, Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd has issued new regulations for shark fishing
Minister of Environment and Water, Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, has issued a ministerial decree on bye-laws of Federal Law no. 23 of 1999 dealing with the use, protection and development of water resources in the UAE.
According to the decree, only motorboats are henceforth allowed to hunt for "JurJur" sharks and such a motorboat must have a license issued by the Ministry of Environment and Water permitting it to hunt for sharks.
A person with more than one motorboat will be allowed to use only one of them for the shark hunt. The motorboat licensed to hunt for sharks must also be driven during the hunting expedition by the owner himself or his next of kin and the maximum "Mayadir" traps allowed for every motorboat during the hunting expedition must not exceed 100.
The decree, which bans hunting of sharks from January 1 to the end of April of every year, also limited the area of hunting to within areas not less than five nautical miles from the coast, not less than three nautical miles from islands and not less than one nautical mile from coral reef. It also bans the hunting of whale sharks and hunting of sharks just for their fins and warned against throwing of remains of fish into the sea waters, urging that the remains, in such a circumstance, must be brought to the port for disposal.
The decree urged owners of motorboats to fully cooperate with the coast guards and all other concerned authorities by providing to them the necessary information about their expeditions and catches.