UAE reaffirms its leading role in protecting sharks

Dubai / WAM

Following the global spread of unethical and uncontrolled fishing methods and the rise of the shark fin trade which is putting shark species on the edge of extinction, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment reaffirms UAE’s global role in the preservation of marine biodiversity and raising community awareness on the issue.
Eng Mariam Hareb, Assistant Under-Secretary of Water Resources and Nature Conservation Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said, “In line with the directives of our leadership and in light of UAE’s pioneering role in protecting the environment, MOCCAE has been taking a series of tangible steps aimed at protecting the environment, spreading awareness and enhancing cooperation for the protection of sharks in order to contribute to the global environmental balance and maintain a sustainable marine environment.”
Hareb pointed out that The UAE recognises the threat to sharks, and the wider challenges resulting from overfishing and illegal wildlife trade and is taking these efforts as part of an ongoing continual assessment of its environmental policy and action effectiveness which has made it a regional leader. It was the first country in the Middle East to ratify the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).