New laws on fishing cages to protect dwindling fish stocks

The new rules ban fishermen from using lynches, known as manshala, to raise the cages to the surface.

ABU DHABI // New rules on the use of traditional fishing cages have been introduced to protect fish stocks and the marine environment.

The restrictions by the Ministry of Environment and Water concern the specifications of the traps, known as gargour, which are used to catch species close to the sea floor.

Fishermen are now banned from using devices, known as manshala, to raise the cages to the surface.

These consist of heavy iron weights with hooks at the end. They are used to lower the gargour before it is dragged long distances along the sea floor, which can destroy coral reefs in its path.

They also stir up sediments at the bottom of the sea, which can harm organisms living there.

“This law was issued as an additional measure to protect fisheries stocks and marine ecosystems in the UAE,” said Sultan bin Alwan, acting assistant undersecretary of the ministry’s water and nature conservation sector.

“The banning of the manshala will ensure that when using gargour fishing traps, fishermen will not harm or damage sensitive habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds.”

The new rules require that all gargour are labelled using a unified numbering system with clear codes that match the identification number of the boat.

The fish traps will also have to be manufactured according to size guidelines. They must be more than 80 centimetres in height with a circumference no smaller than 175cm. The size of the openings must be at least 3.8cm by 3.8cm, to avoid juvenile fish being caught.

“The ministerial decision is implemented in cooperation and coordination with the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority’s Coastguard group,” said Mr bin Alwan.

“External audit specialists from the ministry are visiting gargour factories to ensure their adherence to the decision.”

The ministry also plans to cooperate with local authorities and raise awareness among fishermen about why the new regulations are important.

Last August, the ministry banned the use of certain types of nets and said certain species could only be caught at specified times.

The restrictions follow statistics highlighting the worrying decline in the UAE’s fish stocks.

The number of fish off the UAE's east coast have decreased by more than two thirds in just nine years, The National reported last May.

Figures released by the ministry show that in 2002 fish stocks were estimated at 1,735 kilograms a square kilometre. But this had plummeted to 529kg per sq km in 2011. In 1975, there was an estimated 9,100kg per sq km.

The decline is especially evident in commercially important fish species, such as the orange-spotted grouper, popularly known as hammour, the shaari and the farsh.