05 June 2020
Marine organisms and fish wealth vary along the 64-km coast of Ras Al-Khaimah, at the northeastern entrance to the Arabian Gulf and in the middle of it is the Ras al-Khaimah Creek, the largest marsh of the emirate, as well as a number of other rivers, such as the Halila Creek and the Creek. Al-Muzahmi, which was declared as the first protected area in the emirate under the management of the Environmental Protection and Development Authority in Ras Al Khaimah according to Amiri Decree No. 16 of 2018.
For its part, the authority is keen on these reserves as natural habitats for young fish and fingerlings, and as part of its efforts to preserve them, it applied the decision to prevent fishing and water bicycles in the reserves and meadows of Ras Al Khaimah to protect and develop the fish wealth in the emirate.
According to the list of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, there are about 406 marine creatures at the state level. Among the most prominent types of fish that are famous for the coasts of Ras Al Khaimah are grouper, capillary, net, shelly, shark, domes, oysters, barracuda, yachts, squid, and sea cucumbers, as well as crustaceans such as shrimp and tiger shrimp.
The task of managing and organizing marine fishing affairs and everything related to the protection and preservation of fish wealth in the emirate has been assigned to the Environmental Protection and Development Authority in Ras Al Khaimah as well as its management of fishermen and fishing ports affairs according to Amiri Decree No. 11 of 2015 regarding the regulation of the fishing profession in Ras Al Khaimah.
Pursuant to this decree, EPDA provides licensing and renewal services for artisanal, picnic, and pedestrian fishermen, managing the eight fishing ports in Ras Al Khaimah such as Ras Al Khaimah, Al Mairid, Khour Khuwair and Al Jazirah Al Hamra, among others, as well as following up the fish wealth in the emirate and making improvement efforts and launching initiatives that ensure the integrity and interconnection of all activities of the conservation process and the development of fish wealth and regulation of the fishing profession from start to finish.
And after the authority took over the management of fishing ports, a "Hasaba Center" was opened to happiness the fishermen in Ras Al Khaimah Port to provide the services needed by the fishermen and fishing workers such as the management of fishing ports and follow up on the housing of fishing workers and fishing stores and moorings, and then the authority integrated all the activities of the fishing profession process during In 2019, the number of dealers with the authority at the Hasba Center to make fishermen happy 5049 dealers “3049 fishermen and 1500 fishing workers residing in workers’ housing in fishing ports. ”
In 2019, the Authority provided about 2,227 licensing and renewal services for artisanal, picnic and pedestrian fishermen in addition to providing maintenance and follow-up services to 1558 berths of fishing, 349 housing rooms for fishing workers and 552 stores for fishermen, as well as organizing periodic meetings between Ras Al Khaimah fishermen and His Excellency the Minister of Climate Change and Environment to meet and Providing their requirements and needs, which resulted in a significant improvement in the degree of happiness of fishermen from 79.9% in 2015 to 95.5% in 2019.
The "Environmental Protection Authority" was keen to implement the ministerial decisions regarding permitting and prohibiting fishing issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment, such as Decision No. 580 of 2015 regarding the prevention of fishing, selling and marketing of small sizes of fish whose lengths are less than the permissible limit And Resolution No. 43 of 2019 regarding the regulation of fishing and trading of sharks and Resolution No. 574 of 2015 regarding the regulation of fishing by nets and Resolution No. 501 of 2015 regarding the regulation of fishing and marketing of capillary and net fish in the breeding season.
The "Environmental Protection Authority" was keen to implement the ministerial decisions regarding permitting and prohibiting fishing issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment, such as Decision No. 580 of 2015 regarding the prevention of fishing, selling and marketing of small sizes of fish whose lengths are less than the permissible limit And Resolution No. 43 of 2019 regarding the regulation of fishing and trading of sharks and Resolution No. 574 of 2015 regarding the regulation of fishing by nets and Resolution No. 501 of 2015 regarding the regulation of fishing and marketing of capillary and net fish in the breeding season.
The project achieved great success, which was reflected in the increase in the size of fish wealth, fish stocks and the diversity of marine organisms in and around these bodies by 21 species of marine organisms, representing about 5.2% of the number of marine species present around the emirate's coasts according to the list of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment during 2019 compared to two types Only at the beginning of the landing of these artificial caves in 2017.
And benefited from global experiences in designing artificial caves that went through many stages through the use of the latest designs that proved their feasibility and strength in enduring marine conditions and volatile marine conditions, which is dome design.
The authority benefited from the availability of professional diving skills for a number of fish wealth monitors and the possession of boats necessary to follow the sea-level figures in providing the expected cost of running the annual project activities, which reflected a great efficiency in managing this project.
The results, according to periodic marine surveys carried out by the Authority’s divers, revealed that there is an accelerated growth of coral reefs, algae, and invertebrates on these caves, in addition to attracting many types of fish in large numbers that vary from one region to another, which started to reproduce and live in artificial caves in a way Durable as a result of providing protection.
The authority noted that the fish surrounding the sites of coral caves in the Al-Jazirah Al-Hamra region are characterized by their large size, while the caves in the Al-Rams region are characterized by diversity and large numbers despite the small size compared to what is the case in the Red Island, which enhances the success of the project of spreading and lowering coral caves in Protecting fish from the risk of attrition or extinction and supports their sustainable development.
Among the most prominent future prospects of the project are the development of the eco-tourism hub by investing these artificial solids, the state of the diversity of marine organisms in and around them, and the growth of coral reefs and sponges, in transforming them into an eco-tourist hub for diving and eco-tourism enthusiasts.
Through the possession of a laboratory equipped with the latest equipment and the presence of a specialized scientific team, a number of scientific researches were published in international scientific periodicals tightly during the year 2019 on the concentration of protein and heavy metals in marine fish, especially those of high economic value.
- Quoted from WAM -