Dubai: At the current rate of over-fishing in the Gulf, popular types of fish will only be around in aquariums unless UAE residents change their eating habits to stop popular fish from dying out altogether.
After a survey found that 70 per cent of people would make better choices if they knew how, a new guide has been produced to help consumers ‘Choose Wisely' when ordering fish in restaurants or buying it in supermarkets.
The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) has categorised 19 common fish including the orange-spotted grouper known as hamour, snappers and golden trevally available at most markets into three colour-coded lists of red, orange and green for over-fished species to avoid, species that are a better choice and sustainable fish that are not over exploited by fishermen.
Over fishing has caused an overall decline of 80 per cent in the average stock size for all commercial species in the country. According to EWS-WWF 60 per cent of the total catch in the UAE is made up of species that are fished beyond sustainable levels.
As 66 per cent of residents eat fish at least once a week, it may come as no surprise that hamour is fished out at over seven times the sustainable level and is the most over-fished species in the UAE with a decline of 87 to 92 per cent since 1978.
"We live in a world that wants more and more seafood, making overfishing and its associated environmental impact one of the biggest sustainability challenges. This strong market demand, coupled with poor governance, leads to unsustainable fisheries that become rapidly depleted," said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of EWS.
"The people and the landscape of the UAE have changed tremendously in the past 40 years. Naturally, this has led to a change in the way we use our resources. Fisheries are no exception. Too many fish are being removed too early in their lifespan, reducing their potential to produce the next generation and consequently future stocks."
Seeking sponsors
The Choose Wisely campaign is supported by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and EWS-WWF is actively seeking sponsors to help raise awareness of this important issue. Retailers and restaurants are being urged to get on board and become advocates of sustainable fishing, by offering sustainable varieties of local fish as well as making the consumer guide available to their customers.
An open letter to retailers and restaurants, signed by consumers, requesting that more sustainable seafood options be offered and labelled according to species status will be available on the campaign's website - www.choosewisely.ae.
In the future, the project aims to focus its efforts on fish and seafood suppliers with an in depth market research incorporating a study on seafood and shark trade in the region. Future goals also include determining the importance of fisheries for livelihoods as well as surveying fishermen attitudes, concerns and knowledge of existing regulations put in place by the authorities to limit the practice of over-fishing.
Guide:
This guide will be available in print from EWS -WWF offices
Do you fish? Are you aware of the types of fish that are endangered? Would you stop buying them if it meant saving the species?
