Shark Awareness Day
Shark Awareness Day is observed on July 14, a day that raises awareness about this marine species.
These sharks keep populations of their prey in check, weeding out the weak and sick animals to keep the overall population healthy. Their disappearance can set off a chain reaction throughout the ocean — and even impact people on shore.
Some possible sharks that may be seen in Fujairah are hammerheads, lemon sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and more. Whale sharks are no strangers to UAE waters and in recent years, scuba divers have occasionally encountered these gentle giants swimming off the coast of Dibba. (www.nemodivingcenter.com)
A total of 12,478 individual sharks originating from UAE Gulf waters were recorded in this study with 30 species confirmed and validated morphologically and through genetic barcoding.
The family Carcharhinidae was the most abundant (95.5% of all landed species) and most diverse with 18 species, followed by Hemigaleidae with three species, and Sphyrnidae and Hemiscylliidae with two species each. Shark landings were dominated by small size species with six species found to be most abundant. The remaining 24 species recorded comprised between 0.01 % and 1.4 % of the total shark landings. Accordingly to UAE Shark Assessment Report 2018. (www.moccae.gov.ae)
