Reef sharks in the Gulf are especially vulnerable without sanctuaries to ensure their protection.
Red Sea sharks are threatened by Yemenese poachers who sell their fins to Asia for a fit price. But it turns out that Persian Gulf shark species are also vulnerable. So much so that conservationists have advised regional environmental groups and governments to set aside sanctuaries that will protect them.
As predators, sharks play an essential role in any marine ecosystem. Without them, prey are able to proliferate, in turn eradicating food lower on the chain. Failure to institute substantial measures to protect Gulf sharks would lead to a serious imbalance, and harm the economics of people who rely on it.Gulf News reports that international experts gathered in Abu Dhabi last week at the Marine Conservation Forum 2010 to discuss the 25 shark and other species in the Gulf that require urgent attention, but which are not currently protected by international treaties.
Governments and environmentalists were warned that in the North Atlantic, where shark numbers have declined precipitously, populations of rays exploded. They in turn gobbled up the scallops on which local fishermen relied for an income.
Susan Lieberman from the Environmental Pew Group said evidence suggests that Gulf sharks are also being fished for their fins for a soup that has no nutritional value. Annually, the ecological services of 73 million sharks are wrested from oceans and seas for what certain Asian populations consider a delicacy.
In the Gulf, reef sharks are especially susceptible to harm. If they go, the health of the entire coral reef system would be in peril. Because sharks do not produce young until after 12 to 13 years, their populations are not easily revived. Setting aside sanctuaries in the Gulf would go a long way to ensure their propagation.
:: Gulf News
More shark news from the Middle East:
Protection Legislation Endangers Red Sea Sharks
Three Russian Red Sea Snorkelers Attacked By White-Tip Shark
Egyptian Park Authorities Killed Wrong Sharks After Red Sea Attacks
image via scubacayman88
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Hey, thanks for the article.Really thank you! Will read on…
Dear Tafline Laylin,
The U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN), the final authority on U.S. geographical nomenclature standardization, has officially recognized and adopted the Persian Gulf as the sole name for this body of water and has mandated the U.S. government to refer exclusively to it by this proper name. Accordingly, the policy of the U.S. Department of Defense is to refer to that waterway by its historically correct and legal name “Persian Gulf” (http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/ir/.) The past U.S. presidents and administrations have consistently addressed the Persian Gulf by its valid name.
The following are links to the United Nations Geographical maps of the world and the Persian Gulf region. Please take time to view them and notice that the UN refers to this body of water as the Persian Gulf.
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/maplib/docs/escwa.pdf
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/qatar.pdf
Most importantly, the United Nations with 22 Arab member states has on two occasions officially declared the name of the waterway to the south of Iran as the Persian Gulf. The first announcement was made through the document UNAD, 311/Qen on March 5, 1971, and the second was UNLA 45.8.2 section C, on August 10, 1984. Persian Gulf is also the recognized name by the British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN).
I’ve submitted the above links in order to support this position and clear any confusion as to what to call the Persian Gulf. I also hope this has been only an unfortunate oversight and that it will be corrected immediately. I look forward to your reply and thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincere Regards,
Saeed Tasbihsazan