EXPEDITIONS SUSPENDED >> Click for info
SCS is a small volunteer run Society which has achieved an enviable record of conservation and research wins. The world today is obsessed with everything needing to be safe. A small adventure group of shark enthusiasts (SCS) simply can't afford the legal, insurance and administrative back-up which would guard against any risks of SCS having to pay out in the event of a claim or a legal action. The cost of our expeditions would have to double or treble!
When I read last year that a BBC film crew had to do a 'risk assessment' before filming a group of Morris dancers it brought home to me just how pathetic the world has become, we all know how dangerous knotted hankies can be! Today's adventurer who wants to be safe must wrap him/her self in cotton wool, go to bed and watch TV.
The directors of the Society are currently studying this problem searching for a way for our expeditions to be able to continue. It is with great regret therefore we have to announce that until this process has been completed, and a way forward found, we will have to suspend expeditions.
To our loyal supporters and past volunteers the message is 'We are not going away, won't lie down, and will find a way at going on, even if it involves all volunteers having to buy shares in cotton wool and avoid Morris dancers'! More to follow.
Abu Dhabi Market Survey
Market Survey
Between April 4 and April 12 seven days were worked in the Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi main fish market.
406 animals were processed and species, length, disc width, sex, and male maturity were recorded.
Elasmobranches at Mina Zayed appeared to fall into three main groups
- Large sharks (up to 2.4m) - mostly blacktips and pigeyes - brought ashore by dhows fishing in the Gulf (AD waters). While these vessels were primarily targeting valuable finfish (e.g. hamoor) through the deployment of gargoor traps, the crew appeared to target sharks by deploying longlines from the vessel opportunistically, to supplement income.
- Small sharks - mostly sliteyes and milk sharks (although also including near-term embryos of other species) - brought overland by ice truck from other emirates (e.g. Dubai, Sharjah) and possibly Oman; they could therefore originate from either The Gulf or the Gulf of Oman (or both).
- Small amounts of guitarfish and stingrays landed by inshore gillnetters targeting finfish in local AD waters.
N.B. During a brief exploratory visit to Dubai retail market, it was observed that the market was dominated by milk and spottail sharks with a few hardnose sharks and some cownose rays.
The following sharks were processed in Abu Dhabi
- Arabian smoothound (Mustelus mosis)
- Hooktooth shark (Chaenogaleus macrostoma)
- Slender weasel shark (Paragaleus randalli)
- Pigeye/java shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis)
- Spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna)
- Whitecheek shark (Carcharhinus cf. dussumieri)
- Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)
- Hardnose shark (Carcharhinus macloti)
- Blacktip reef shark
- Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus)
- Spottail shark (Carcharhinus sorrah)
- Sliteye shark (Loxodon macrorhinus)
- Milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus)
- Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
- Guitarfish (Rhinobatos halavi)
- Bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma)
- Reticulated/leopard whipray (Himantura uarnak/leoparda complex)
- Pink whipray (Himantura fai)
- Cownose ray (Rhinoptera cf. javanica)
N.B. The data gathered on the SCS expeditions in Kuwait (2008), Qatar (2009, 2010) Abu Dhabi (2010) is all being assessed and written up by Alec Moore and will be published in due course.
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Finished With Fins Campaign
Dateline 16th March 2015.
We would like to draw all members attention to a campaign to ban shark fins soup from all government related events in Singapore. The campaign is collecting pledges and you can go online at Campaign.com/FINishedwithFINs to sign up.