Dubai: The UAE is not a major harvester of local Gulf sharks despite it being the fifth largest exporter of shark fins to Hong Kong, insisted a Ministry of Environment and Water official at a shark conference in Dubai on Tuesday.

Most of the 500 metric tonnes of shark fins exported to Hong Kong annually from the UAE are comprised of imported fins from other countries in the region, he said.

The ministry confirmation echoes observations by other experts attending the conference who told Gulf News earlier this week that of the 2,000 metric tonnes of sharks caught each year in UAE waters, only 60 metric tonnes would comprise shark fins.

Speaking at the Shark Conservation in Arabia workshop on Tuesday, Mohammad Tabish, fisheries specialist with the MoEW said that as far as the ministry is concerned, none of the local shark catch is legally allowed to be shipped outside of the UAE because 2011 rules prohibit sharks to be fished solely for their fins.

However, sharks in places such as the Dubai Fish Market are legally for sale because they are brought to market by licensed fishermen intact.

“Sharks are one of the most important fish species in the UAE,” Tabish told dozens of marine scientists and government fisheries delegates from across the region and beyond.

The shark harvest, he said, is “commercially important because of its value now... mainly due to its fins… in UAE. Fishing of sharks in not a bigger concern than the re-export of shark fins.”

Given that hard data regarding native shark populations in UAE Gulf waters is not readily available, Tabish said it was hard to give a precise outline on the impact of shark fishing and whether the fishing industry is exacting a balanced toll until firmer scientific stock data is confirmed.

But UAE measures such as a January to April ban on fishing sharks and strict regulations spelling out which equipment must be used for shark fishing is keeping the industry in check, he said.

“Due to lack of stock assessment studies and species specific data, it is still premature to say that sharks are overfished. But, yes, fishing does exist,” Tabish said.

Dr Ralf P. Sonntag, German country director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), told Gulf News on Tuesday that he was grateful for environment ministry cooperation and said that this week’s four-day conference was all about creating awareness and cooperation between marine scientists and government officials.

“It is encouraging to see how much effort the Ministry of Environment and Water is putting in,” said Sonntag, adding that Gulf News’ investigative look at the shark problem in June helped conference organisers address the issue.

Dr Al Sayed Ahmad A. Mohammad, regional director for Middle East and North Africa of IFAW, said he was pleased to see public awareness of shark finning growing in the region as governments work harder to address shark conservation.

“The way is opening now in GCC countries to make sharks a priority,” he said.

Coordination is needed between regional countries to create blanket protection for sharks, he said, noting that sharks migrate sometimes across large distances making it dangerous if they leave protected zones only to be hunted in unsafe waters.

The Shark Conservation in Arabia Workshop, sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Sharkquest Arabia as well as the Ministry of Environment and Water, closes on Thursday in Dubai.