Dubai: A new UAE resolution to protect sharks from abusive fishing practices and curb the shark fin trade will take effect on September 1.
Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, has issued Ministerial Resolution (500) for the year 2014 regulating the hunting and trading of sharks.
Some shark species are under threat from unsustainable fishing practices that include shark finning, which is illegal in the UAE.
The UN says some 70 million sharks are killed every year to feed the global appetite for shark fin, which is hugely popular in China and the Far East for use in soups and traditional medicine.
A bowl of shark fin soup can cost up to $100 (Dh367). Some traffickers slice off the fins and dump the body back into the sea, causing the shark to die a slow, agonising death.
In February, the UAE signed a new agreement to protect migrating sharks as part of wider local measures to protect all sharks against over-exploitation.
The latest resolution limits the hunting of sharks in fishing waters not less than five nautical miles from the shores of the UAE and not less than three nautical miles from the islands of the UAE.
This will prevent fishing of sharks for their fins and thwart the practice of throwing their bodies back into the sea.
The regulation states that sharks must be brought fully into the port. It also aims to prevent the trading of live sharks caught in fishing waters of the UAE unless a special permit has been issued by the ministry.
The resolution prevents hunting species stated in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).
In cases of import of shark species listed in Cites – such as the great hammerhead and great white shark – an export or re-export certificate from the exporting country and an import certificate issued by the ministry must be secured.
Companies are not permitted to export sharks caught in the fishing waters of the UAE – whether fresh, frozen, dried or salted, smoked or canned – throughout the year.
However, the import of sharks – in any form – is allowed.
The imports must be accompanied with the original certificate of source of origin for each shipment, stating the scientific name and quantity of each type. It should also have the original health certificate, commercial invoice, and the packing list for each shipment.
The decision also allows the re-export of all imported sharks – in any form – provided permission is granted by the ministry.
The ministry will grant permission only after receiving various certifications about the shipment.
