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Red Sea: Our Shark Friend

July 16, 2008, 7:49PM MT

By Sharon St. Joan

400 million years...

400 million years...

By Ahmed Diab, Best Friends Network Volunteer Writer

Deep in the blue Red Sea along the coast of Sinai, the land of the prophets as Egyptians say, lives a predator we always think of in terms of its ferocity and its natural killing instinct. The media has propagandized this magnificent creature making it into a monster, feared by the majority of people.

Sharks, like other predators, are part of the diverse ecological system of the Red Sea, playing their role of maintaining the population of the other creatures. If the other species were left to populate without control, the destruction and exploitation due to their large population would be devastating to the habitat they reside in. Their overpopulation would destroy the beautiful corals which now sustain marine life with oxygen and food in a perfect balance that we must preserve.

The Red Sea is one of the most visited seas in the world; its coral reefs are one of a kind and the diversity of its marine life is uplifting and amazing. Thousands of tourists come to Egypt every year to dive and watch the Red Sea sharks. Like its cousins in other oceans and seas, it even has a tendency to dance! Sadly, the population of the Red Sea sharks has been declining for no obvious reason.

Some authorities and divers say it might be due to "finning", the commercial hunting of sharks for their fins, which poachers sell in the lucrative markets of the far east. However, there is so far no convincing proof that this is happening in the Red Sea. Fascinatingly though, the Egyptian government has decreed a law to protect the Red Sea sharks, making it illegal to hunt them. In 2006, the "Shark Project," a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of sharks, awarded Egypt "The Shark Guardian" award in honor of its unique protection and care for sharks.

As written in Al-Ahram, a widely read Egyptian newspaper, 16 sharks that live close to a small island off the coast of Sinai generate $15 million annually from tourists, who dive and enjoy observing them. The article even compared such income to revenue generated from selling gas, commenting that gas is a limited resource and only generates short-term gains. However, preserving nature can mean long-term gains. We should value our natural and wildlife habitat and use it in a sustainable manner and preserve it-- even for the intimidating creature known as "JAWS."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / A great white shark

Posted by Sharon St Joan, Best Friends Network Staff

What you can do

To read more about The Shark Project, go to
http://www.hepca.com/save-red-sea-sharks.aspx

To read more about wildlife and nature in Egypt, the website of the weekly Al Ahram, in English, is
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/index.htm

You're invited to join the Egypt Community!

Comments

Posted July 19, 2008, 9:23PM by PamelaB

What an economical yet rich story! It's short and sweet, yet you really hit all the important bases. And also, it's truly news to me. Had no idea about the fascinating sharks of the blue Red Sea.

Thanks, Ahmed! I enjoy your writing very much.

Posted July 18, 2008, 11:39AM by sharonstjoan

A great description of the importance of predators!