JEDDAH, 28 July 2005 — For all the high profile talk of conservation of the marine environment and the benefits to tourism it will bring, the hard truth is that the effects of uncontrolled spear-fishing off Jeddah are beginning to show.
A source within the Jeddah diving industry, who has wide knowledge of the activities off the western seaboard, detailed some of the activities taking place.
The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) confirms that spear-fishing with or without scuba tanks “for fishermen, sport or tourism” is illegal. However, the practice is widely followed. It is not properly policed and as a result, spear-fishing for “sport” continues unabated.
The effect is that commercial dive companies, who need to keep costs to a minimum, have to spend more money to take sport divers substantial distances north and south of Jeddah to find large pelagic fish. Areas opening up for day-trip divers now are as far north as Umluj and as far south as Al-Laith. Yanbu used to be considered a destination dive; now it is a destination for a southbound boat trip starting even further north in Al-Wajh.
It is probably safe to assume that if the big fish were closer to home, the companies would save money and go for the closer sites.
Allegations that some of the commercial dive companies themselves are involved in transporting divers and their weapons out to the reefs off Jeddah to shoot fish for sport still circulate around the diving community in Jeddah.
A quick visit to www.speargun.com/album/fp_856.jpg — click “album” — will reveal photographs of spear-fishermen with local addresses posing with their victims. Some even go so far as to be photographed under water with their trophy and leave their e-mail address on the image. Could this be a sign of their confidence in the authorities’ inertia and a total lack of fear of reprisal?
Arab News was told that boats regularly leave Obhur Creek north of Jeddah with, the source confirmed, spear-guns on board. Wise to the casual — if any — inspection of the boat by coast guards, spear-fishermen hide the guns on the roof of the boat or conceal them about the place. Apparently engine rooms are highly favored. Often the boats return laden with fish in cool boxes; some even take to concealing their catch in weighted nets hung over the side.
The dive industry in the Red Sea has enormous potential; currently it is relatively small, the numbers of divers visiting the area from Europe and the US for example are probably not more than a couple of thousand a year. Some estimates put the number much lower.
The loss of the larger fish — including sharks, tuna and large barracuda — has become noticeable. The Eliza Shoal lies a few kilometers west of Jeddah and is the site of Chicken and Marble wrecks. Favorites of divers for years, a dive on these wrecks used to lead with encounters with white and black tipped sharks and some of the larger pelagic fish. This rarely happens now; the predators have become the prey.
The story is repeated for the three reefs running parallel to the Jeddah shoreline — Red Marker, Al-Kharj and Bayada. Abu Faranish reef, a few kilometers further west and the most seaward — still attracts large fish, but has caught the attention of spear-fishermen.
Spear-fishing is not confined to sites far out to sea which may be difficult to police when private boats are involved. Shoreline spear-fishermen openly wander along the littoral north of Jeddah — although commendably, at least one private beach manager turns over offender and equipment to police.
Professor Moshira Hassan of the Marine Biology Department in Cairo — and who has extensive knowledge of the Red Sea ecosystem — commented at a conference last year that existing laws, “have to be enforced, although they are impossible to police comprehensively.” We have at least to try.
She found from studying Egypt’s Red Sea diving resorts that it was vital “to engage the support of the community. The main things are education and awareness of the public — people need to know what the value is in the first place in terms of ecosystem, religious perspective, ethical and economic perspective.”
Promotion of public awareness is one of the core values of the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden based in Jeddah. Abdullah Al-Suhaibany, Lead Specialist-Habitat & Biodiversity Conservation, is on record as saying, “All this work is nothing unless we pass on the information to the public and ask them to assist us. More than 120 school clubs have joined Friends of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and are supported by local NGOs.”
Just this week, Prince Sultan ibn Salman launched the “Leave No Trace” program that is designed to raise environmental awareness. “Creating deep awareness of the importance of preserving the environment, whether land or marine, has become a paramount concern,” he said, “especially with the rising population of the Kingdom where the number of visitors to the various natural areas has doubled, resulting in negative factors which have reduced the attractiveness of these areas and endangered the natural habitats of wildlife and marine creatures.
“This can only be counteracted by educating and training the citizens and residents on the principles of responsible behavior and rejecting negative practices in order to preserve the natural environment.”
I know he did not mean “leave no trace” of the animals that inhabit it.
We have “talked the talk;” it is time to “walk the walk.” Regulations, proud talk about “protecting the environment” and signing up to international conventions are fine things in principal. But they are more honored in the breaking than in the observance.
