As part of a sustained drive to promote sustainable fishing practices in the UAE, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, met with fishermen from Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) and urged them to avoid unsustainable fishing practices and techniques that apart from depleting fish stocks in the country’s waters, damaged the UAE’s marine biodiversity. The Minister, who led a delegation from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) to the emirate, underlined that such practices shaped a negative image of the UAE, regionally as well as globally.
This meeting took place during His Excellency Dr Thani’s tour of Umm Al Quwain to inspect the latest developments in the construction of the new port for fishing boats in the emirate. After the inspection, he met with a delegation from the Umm Al Quwain Cooperative Society For Fishermen.
The Minister discussed with the delegation the latest developments in the fishing sector, and the Ministry’s efforts to support the sector. He emphasized the importance of preserving the fish stock in the UAE and outlined the initiatives being taken to ensure its sustainability, including rehabilitation of natural habitats as well as creation of artificial habitats to promote this goal.
He stressed the necessity of increasing the cooperative society’s efforts to raise awareness among the fishermen of the wrong practices that harm the sector and deplete the fish stock in the UAE waters. He pointed out that only through stepping up education and awareness could incidents such as the one that led to the death of a large number of fish in UAQ’s waters be avoided.
Dr Al Zeyoudi said: "It is the responsibility of all segments of society to support the vision of the nation’s leadership, outlined in the UAE Vision 2021, to achieve sustainability. We must all act responsibly and strive positively to attain this important goal and stop unsustainable practices."
The delegation from the Umm Al Quwain Cooperative Society for Fishermen, which represented around 391 fishermen from the emirate, conveyed to His Excellency Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi their continued commitment to abiding by the Ministry’s directives to educate and support its members in practicing sustainable fishing.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, met the Minister and discussed MOCCAE’s plans and strategies to promote environmental projects in the emirate, including the integrated waste management strategy to operate the proposed landfill project.
The MOCCAE delegation also made a presentation on the landfill project, which outlined the methods of processing, dredging and covering the waste, constructing a drying pond for industrial wastewater; and establishing a separate landfill for solid hazardous waste.