Massive fish weighing 56kg caught in UAE

Ras Al Khaimah - Abdullah Zaid Al Shehi, the fisherman, knew it wasn't a regular morning for him when he ventured out into the sea.

An Emirati fisherman on Sunday caught the biggest fish he has ever seen in his net. It was a Suss fish that weighed a whopping 56kg.
Abdullah Zaid Al Shehi, the fisherman, knew it wasn't a regular morning for him when he ventured out into the sea.
"I eagerly wanted to catch the biggest fish to get ahead of the other fishermen in a local competition here in Ras Al Khaimah," he said.
By the time he pulled up his fishing net, he couldn't believe his eyes. "It was so heavy! To my surprise, I found this big Suss fish. It made my day and I won the title for the biggest fish."
A common fish in the UAE market, Suss fish is also known as spotted shovel-nose ray, which can grow up to 400cm long.
In October this year, the RAK Municipality, launched a local competition where fishermen who caught the heaviest fish are honoured every week.
"However, only local types of fish are allowed," Abdullah Saeed, an Emirati fisherman, told Khaleej Times.
"A special committee follows the fishing activities on a daily basis to decide on the biggest, heaviest fish of the day, and the winner is announced by the weekend."
Mohammad Saleh, another fisherman, said the competition aimed to keep the UAE's fishing heritage alive and, at the same time, "boost fair competition".
Late in October this year, fishermen at the Shaam area - some 40km north of Ras Al Khaimah city - were shocked to find an unprecedented volume of fish trapped in their nets.
It was too heavy that they had to use 50 vehicles to transport 50 tonnes of fish, "the biggest catch in four years for the fish markets of the emirate", said fisherman Ibrahim Al Shamali.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Ras Al Khaimah