Hundreds of thumb-sized orange fish swarm the coral reef off the coast of Sudan, occasionally scattering when a larger fish swims near them. Then the fish are joined by even larger creatures.

Jonathan Ali Khan and his team of divers swim to the ocean floor and open a crate containing the cast offs from local fishermen — animals that don’t look quite good enough to sell at full price at the market.

Khan and the team of divers, academics and environmental activists use the crates of fish as bait to attract the sharks native to the area to film them for Shark Quest Arabia, a project that will produce two films attempting to educate non-environmentalists about the threats posed to global shark populations by actions just off local shores.

The animals lured to this bait for filming face increasing dangers. Largely due to demand in East Asia for shark fin soup, a dish indigenous to China that is eaten at celebrations and as a luxury, the shark populations in the waters of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf are falling just as researchers are finding that the Arabian waters  may act as an important nesting and incubating areas
 for young animals.

But despite their vulnerability and their importance in the local marine ecology, sharks, it seems, suffer from a public relations problem.

Dareen Al Mojil, a doctoral candidate and marine researcher in Kuwait, says she encounters many people who are afraid of sharks. “It’s reputation with people is what most people are frightened about. ‘What does it matter if we kill sharks,’” she says she hears frequently. “‘Then we have no enemies in the sea,’” they tell her.

“That makes it hard for the awareness campaigns and that’s what you need. People, before you can make changes.”

The films, set to be complete in May of next year, will explore two different aspects of problems affecting the shark populations. The first will look at the role the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea play in raising juvenile sharks. 

Khan, who has lived in the UAE since the 1980s, received a Dh850,000 grant from the Emirates Foundation to complete the project, a sum that is approximately five times the average grant for environmental research projects sponsored by the organisation, according to the foundation’s CEO Peter Cleaves.

“The shift from hunting, fishing and pearl diving to current lifestyles has affected people’s relationship with nature and their interaction with it,” Cleaves says. By funding two movies set to air on two international television channels, the organisation hopes it will reach millions of viewers, increasing awareness about Arabia.

This is not the first time divers have attempted to document populations of marine life in the UAE — Al Saqar Al Suweidi the head of the Emirates Marine Environmental Group fashioned an underwater camera for himself decades ago. But there is still a general lack of awareness about the environment, both marine and in general.

“There is an emotional interest in the natural environment that sometimes gets lost,” Cleaves  says. “We have highways and buildings and cars and you don’t get involved beyond that, to
 feel this connection.”

Researchers believe the animals use the calmer waters of the Gulf in much the same way turtles do: as a safe area to breed and raise their young before they venture out into the more tumultuous Indian ocean.  Al Mojil says there have been several sightings of juvenile endangered whale sharks off the shores of Kuwait, an indication that young grow here before heading to more open waters.

“This part of the world was traditionally and historically quite remote,” Khan, a former journalist and fashion designer who spent seven years making a documentary series called Seas of Arabia, said. “Since the advent of oil and the development that oil has afforded us, we’ve seen a very dramatic impact. The coasts of this region were considered very safe for a lot of species.”

The Strait of Hormuz is a 54-kilometre conduit between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. While the narrow strait has always played an important role in global trade, the discovery of oil in the Gulf in the mid 1900s caused a significant increase in shipping traffic.  In the upcoming documentaries, Khan argues that the demand for shark fin soup coupled with this increased traffic in the strait now threaten the traditional safe havens.

Frequently, fishermen looking to supply East Asian demand for shark fins will cut the fins off to avoid carrying the weighty animal’s carcass back to shore, leaving the sharks to sink to the ocean floor. The film also looks into local hubs for fin traders. Sharks are frequently caught by local fishermen and can be seen at the Deira fish market. Khan says they are looking for the sorting facilities that support Sharjah’s role as a main hub for trade in shark fins.

The second film follows the team of researchers as they look for females of the endangered whale shark species. For reasons that are still largely unknown, male and female whale sharks commonly segregate themselves. Khan says he hopes that showing the search for female whale sharks will highlight the need to protect them.

The movies are not without a message: Khan, Al Mojil and others working on the project are hoping that added attention will urge decision-makers in the region to protect the waters. The UAE has legislation that only allows sharks to be caught seasonally, and a marine reserve in Marawah off the coast of Abu Dhabi, but the populations are still vulnerable.

“There isn’t a lot of support from the people in the Arab region, and it [generates] a very high income for some of them. There isn’t a very active movement towards protection.’

But Khan says that local actions are important for the global populations. “The sooner we forget this notion that we are isolated, the better because what impacts one area will have repercussions.”

emily@khaleejtimes.com