Green Prophet delves into the bloody and murky business of shark fishing and finning in the United Arab Emirates Poached sharks in a UAE market, March 2011. Although shark finning has been banned in the United Arab Emirates in 2008, shark fins are sold openly in the fish markets of Dubai. Julia Spaet, KAUST PhD student researching shark populations in the Red Sea / greenprophet.com

By Arwa Aburawa
23 March 2011

Following the recent shocking incident where a pregnant hammerhead female shark and its forty-five pups were found dead at a fish market in Dubai, we decided to delve a little deeper into the murky business of shark fishing and finning in the United Arab Emirates. Although shark finning was completely unheard of in the region at one point – as it’s not part of Arabian cuisine – the practice is gaining momentum and shark fishing is definitely on the rise. A week ago, shark fin soup served at a Dubai function did court controversy but the fact remains that shark fin soup is ‘not uncommon in Dubai’. According to a news report on the issue by UAE 7 Days, the UAE still plays its part in the controversial trade and is the market hub for what is still seen as a high-status delicacy. Although shark finning was banned in the United Arab Emirates in 2008, sharks fins are openly sold in the fish markets of Dubai. It is estimated that around 70 million sharks are killed for their fins each year and the UAE provides nearly 10 percent of this world total supply of shark fins. … The biggest threat to the shark population comes from hunting shark pups, catching pregnant females and fining. Ibrahim Al Zu’bi from the Emirate Diving Association told UAE 7 Days that continued shark finning and indiscriminate fishing could spell disaster for the ecosystem. “If you over-fish anything, you will eventually see a negative impact on the marine system,” Al Zu’bi explained.

Despite Ban, UAE remains Market Hub for Shark Fins