Foggy mornings keep UAE fishermen in port and catches small

Commuters and airline passengers are not the only ones who have suffered because of the early morning and late evening fog, with crews ordered to remain on their fishing boats instead of bringing in daily catches.

Fishmongers say that seafood prices are low despite the lack of new catches. Satish Kumar / The National

ABU DHABI // Fishing fleets across the UAE have stayed in ports as captains and owners are unwilling to venture out to sea because of the dense fog.

Fishing crews have been ordered to remain on their boats instead of putting to sea because of the early morning and late evening fog.

Consequently, the prices of staple fish such as red mullet, mackerel, hamour and emperor breams have been fluctuating.

The handful of boats that head out to sea tend to leave port in the late mornings to be safe.

“Visibility reduces outings and that increases prices,” said Mohamoud Al Shara, a member of the Fujairah Fishermen Association. “But this all depends on when the fog occurs. If it’s in the morning only, then the prices will be fine. But if it is at night and over a few days, then we can see a price increase.”

Although refrigeration allows fish markets and fishermen’s cooperatives to address the lack of fresh fish by using preserved stocks, these are only available for a limited time.

“We can’t tell fishermen not to go out, they exercise caution and they have modern devices to keep them from being lost at sea,” said Ali Al Mansoury, president of the Union of Fishermen Association in Abu Dhabi.

“The weather of course limits outings, less fish being caught makes prices go up. It definitely affects the number of fishing trips and fish on the market.”

Last month The National reported a 25 per cent increase in fish prices in Fujairah after all fishing off the east coast was suspended because of unstable weather in the Gulf of Oman.

Fishermen were losing an estimated Dh4,000 a day as a result.

Although fishing in fog is manageable, poor visibility and rough seas make it too dangerous for fishermen to be at sea.

“People can still go out, of course, but I am not letting any of my boats out in this weather,” said Bu Ahmed, a fisherman from Abu Dhabi. “I’ll wait it out and see, but my fishermen are taking the same decision, and that will change fish prices.”

Fishmongers, however, said seafood prices remained low.

“This season is low but next week maybe the price will go high,” said Mohammed A at Dubai Fish Market. “It depends on how many fish come to market and that is always changing.”

The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology forecasts rough seas on Wednesday and fog in the morning which may last into the evening.

Mr Al Mansoury said ship owners, fishing crews and traders should not be overly worried about the weather because it would return to normal.

“The weather limits outings, less fish being caught makes prices go up, ” he said. “Prices during this season are already low, so less outings means higher prices but not as much as one would think.