Post by Dive Bunnie on Aug 22, 2009 13:48:33 GMT
So it is official, fishing in the Red Sea is in the process of being banned.
In fact, contrary to popular belief it is already banned in the whole of the Ras Mohammed and Sharm el Sheikh area, right up to Ras Nasrani (near Tiran in the North). Above that, local fishermen using local, Bedoin techniques are allowed to fish.
So how come every Thistlegorm trip, you will see a collection of felucas hanging around Shark Reef and Jack Fish Alley?? We used to think that the local Bedoins were allowed to fish for around an hour each morning, however this is not the case. It is indeed illegal, and they had just been taking advantage of darkness in order to poach their goodies.
The really sad part is that the fish that they are poaching are aggregating in these areas to spawn, and therefore they are hindering the continuation of these populations.
As a guide who has been here for the last four years (five summers in all, not counting the two summers I visited here as a fun diver and Divemaster trainee) I have really noticed the diminishing numbers of these fish.
When I first visited Shark reef was renowned for its "wall of snapper" that was vast.. there now remains a very large shoal, but not this amazing wall. When I first moved here, it was a regular occurence to see a couple of large black tipped sharks hanging around these reefs too, however for the last two years, they have been almost absent.
It could be argued that the increased popularity of the area has contributed to this, however on the diving front, I would say that Sharm was pretty busy when I first arrived, and has not really changed on that front (we have more sun-seekers now instead). So it stands to reason that the decline in sharks could also be due to the decline in their food supply Of course I have not been conducting major scientific surveys here, however over the years have gathered a certain amount of anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
I have also noticed that the sharks that used to sleep on the sandy alley at Jackfish have not been seen since I moved out here in 2005... hmm sad news.
Maybe we can encourage the fishermen to at least head away from the reefs, so they don't gather in such huge numbers, or maybe encourage them to make their living in another way. Sharm has become a bit of a gold mine for the local businessman with a bit of imagination.
In fact, contrary to popular belief it is already banned in the whole of the Ras Mohammed and Sharm el Sheikh area, right up to Ras Nasrani (near Tiran in the North). Above that, local fishermen using local, Bedoin techniques are allowed to fish.
So how come every Thistlegorm trip, you will see a collection of felucas hanging around Shark Reef and Jack Fish Alley?? We used to think that the local Bedoins were allowed to fish for around an hour each morning, however this is not the case. It is indeed illegal, and they had just been taking advantage of darkness in order to poach their goodies.
The really sad part is that the fish that they are poaching are aggregating in these areas to spawn, and therefore they are hindering the continuation of these populations.
As a guide who has been here for the last four years (five summers in all, not counting the two summers I visited here as a fun diver and Divemaster trainee) I have really noticed the diminishing numbers of these fish.
When I first visited Shark reef was renowned for its "wall of snapper" that was vast.. there now remains a very large shoal, but not this amazing wall. When I first moved here, it was a regular occurence to see a couple of large black tipped sharks hanging around these reefs too, however for the last two years, they have been almost absent.
It could be argued that the increased popularity of the area has contributed to this, however on the diving front, I would say that Sharm was pretty busy when I first arrived, and has not really changed on that front (we have more sun-seekers now instead). So it stands to reason that the decline in sharks could also be due to the decline in their food supply Of course I have not been conducting major scientific surveys here, however over the years have gathered a certain amount of anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
I have also noticed that the sharks that used to sleep on the sandy alley at Jackfish have not been seen since I moved out here in 2005... hmm sad news.
Maybe we can encourage the fishermen to at least head away from the reefs, so they don't gather in such huge numbers, or maybe encourage them to make their living in another way. Sharm has become a bit of a gold mine for the local businessman with a bit of imagination.