Catching Hamoors with a Gargoor on a Shasha

That is not as bad as "Theres something Fishy about UAE", I'm sure. Now let's move on..

• Before oil was discovered, the people living along the coastal regions of UAE depended on the sea for their livelihood. Maritime trade, boat building, fishing nets and trap fabrication, pearl fishing, fisheries thrived during the period.

• Currently, there are more than 25,000 fishermen using 8000 fishing boats in the UAE.
  

• It is illegal for to carry out fishing operations without a UAE national on board.

• Fish traps locally known as Gargoor(pl. Gargeer) is a commonly used method though lines and hooks, beach line and gill nets are also used. Gargeer offers better chances of catching fresh fish than other methods.

• A Gargoor is a hemispherical steel mesh fish trap (image via) with an opening which leads the fish towards the bait. Gargeer are specially designed to allow juvenile marine species to escape and can be procured only through a written permission. It also also prevents 'ghost fishing' whereby abandoned gargeer continues to entrap fishes. Besides, abandoned gargeer can adversely affect the marine life if it is not bio-degradable.
  
  
• The Epinephelus Coioides or hamoor (ever tried finding hammour?) is considered to be the prime fish species by the local community. The rest of the world calls it 'grouper' (from the Portugese word 'garoupa') while it is 'groper' for the Aussies and the New Zealanders.
  
  
• Sultan Ibrahim is the local name of a fish - the Red Mullet.
  

• The 'Thorn Crown' starfish (image via) is considered to be one of the biggest threats to the coral reef in the UAE and special missions are undertaken by divers to eliminate them.

• Traditionally, the central vein of the palm leaves were used to make gargeers and other parts of the palm tree were used to make the 'shasha' (image via) or the palm reed boat.