UAE releases baby sharks off Dubai coast to boost declining population  

Marine experts in the UAE have released several baby sharks off the coast of Dubai’s Jebel Ali as part of conservation efforts to enhance the dwindling population of the species.

According to Al Arabiya, 11 Arabian carpet sharks, currently aged about two years, were released into protected areas within the Jebel Ali marine sanctuary on Thursday. They were joined by four honeycomb stingrays which were also released into the water. The sharks can grow to about a metre in length. The breeding programme is led by the luxury Atlantis resort on Dubai’s The Palm.

Kelly Timmins, director of marine animal operations and stability at the resort, said that the sea around The Palm is home to some 65,000 marine animals. She explained that the team has been at the forefront of shark release programmes with governmental bodies for the past five years.

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The Atlantis currently has about nine breeds of sharks, including the grey reef shark, the Blacktip reef shark and the Zebra shark. The Arabian carpet shark is one of the smallest sharks and inhabits coastal waters, mangroves and lagoons. It is considered to be non-threatening to humans.

“Nothing is manipulated; they just breed as per normal, and then our team takes care of the young, and then every so often we can do releases like this,” explained Timmins, “but only with government permission and involvement and only in protected areas.”

The director of biodiversity at the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Hiba Al-Shehhi, told the media outlet that the shark release programme is one of the most successful breeding initiatives in the country that they are really proud of. “Sharks are one of the most important species that actually control fish in the wild and help us balance that ecosystem.”

The species, which is native to the UAE and wider Gulf region, is classified as a near-threatened species with a decreasing population. This is in part due to overfishing and habitat destruction. However, Timmins explained that the initiative isn’t just about increasing numbers, but also to raise awareness about the cartilaginous fish, which often have a bad reputation.

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