First recorded sighting of fish species in Abu Dhabi hailed as 'biodiversity milestone'

Abu Dhabi environment officials have hailed the first recorded sighting of a whitespotted grouper in the emirate's waters as a “major biodiversity milestone”.

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi captured images of the species in September.

The fish is not considered critically endangered globally but its presence in Abu Dhabi waters is rare and was previously undocumented.

It is now registered on the international FishBase database, a global biodiversity information system, with Abu Dhabi as a recorded location, marking a first for the region.

“The first recorded presence of the whitespotted grouper [Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus] is a major biodiversity milestone,” the agency told The National on Tuesday.

“It indicates either improved habitat conditions or previously unrecorded distribution, both of which are valuable indicators of ecosystem resilience and monitoring effectiveness. This is the first confirmed record in the emirate, making it an important new addition to the UAE’s marine species inventory."

Groupers are a diverse group of fish and often loosely referred to in the Middle East as hammour. The whitespotted grouper, typically brownish grey in colour with distinctive white spots, can be found across the Indo-Pacific region. It is generally found in rocky areas, or near where coral is growing in chiefly shallow waters. It can grow up to more than 70cm.

The sighting is not the only boost for Abu Dhabi's waters over the past few months. The EAD also said 55 nuaimi fish, a species rarely sighted in recent years, were also landed in the emirate’s waters recently.

Crucial discovery

“This is very significant as the landing of 55 nuaimi fish [Pinjalo pinjalo] a species previously seen in very low numbers, suggests that fish populations are beginning to recover in healthier marine environments.”

Additional sightings have also been made recently of rare species such as the large-scaled triggerfish and the spotted oceanic triggerfish.

The sightings came as the EAD also reported an increase in the “sustainable fisheries index”, which measures how healthy fish populations are and how well fishing practices are helping them stay that way. It reached 97.4 per cent by the end of last year – up from just 8.9 per cent in 2018.

The EAD said this means nearly all of the “assessed fish stocks in Abu Dhabi are now being fished at sustainable levels”.

“In other words, they are no longer being overfished and have a good chance to recover naturally,” the EAD said. “This is a major improvement from 2018, when only 8.9 per cent of stocks were within safe limits.”

The development comes as Abu Dhabi continues its efforts to bolster sustainability of the emirate’s seas and indicate healthier marine ecosystems as the world marked World Oceans Day on Sunday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of the EAD, said the achievement in the fisheries index reflected Abu Dhabi’s “unwavering commitment and the diligent efforts of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi” to protect marine resources.

“It reinforces Abu Dhabi’s ambitious vision to strike a harmonious balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability, serving as a global model for confronting environmental challenges for a prosperous and resilient future,” he said.

Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the EAD, said the significant progress made in the index underlines Abu Dhabi’s leadership in environmental conservation.

“We are committed to deploying best-in-class management practices and leveraging scientific capabilities to restore fish populations and protect marine ecosystems,” she said.

“This success affirms the importance of evidence-based policy and global best practices in conserving our natural heritage for future generations."

The EAD said: “By combining policy enforcement, protected areas, habitat restoration, and community engagement, the emirate is positioning itself as a regional and global model for sustainable marine management."

it also said the findings were a “success story” and part of a broader long-term, science-driven strategy by the EAD to protect and restore marine life in Abu Dhabi.

“By combining policy enforcement, protected areas, habitat restoration, and community engagement, the emirate is positioning itself as a regional and global model for sustainable marine management.”

The health of the world's seas are in sharp focus this week as nations meet in France at the UN Ocean Conference. The gathering seeks to build momentum and money for marine conservation despite the world's seas being affected by pollution, mining, overfishing and other issues.

At home, authorities have made concerted efforts over the past few years to ensure the recovery of fish stocks and put the emirate on a path to sustainability.

These measures include regulating commercial fishing activities through sustainable methods, as well as implementing new regulations for recreational fishing.

There are six marine reserves in Abu Dhabi, for example.

In 2019, gargoor, traditional metal dome-shaped traps used by fishermen, were banned in Abu Dhabi following a study that showed declines in hammour and farsh.

These efforts have continued since. The EAD in May unveiled a plan to plant millions of coral colonies by 2030. The project builds on the success of restoring one million coral colonies since 2021.

Fish numbers and species variety have increased by more than 50 per cent around these areas, the EAD said.

The EAD also launched the “Abu Dhabi Coral Garden” initiative the same month.

It plans to create “gardens” by installing 40,000 eco-friendly artificial corals of various designs and sizes.