Authorities detect illegally caught hammerhead shark

A fishing dhow was yesterday stopped in Muharraq after the authorities detected an illegally caught hammerhead shark, which is an endangered species of shark.

This was announced yesterday by the Agriculture and Marine Resources in Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry through its official page on Instagram. The statement mentioned that the dhow was caught in Muharraq Fishermen Port in co-ordination between the directorate and the Coast Guard in Interior Ministry.

The directorate explained in the statement that catching hammerhead shark is banned internationally, in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is also known as the Washington Convention.

The directorate added that the matter has been referred to the concerned departments in the Supreme Council for Environment in order to take the necessary legal measures in this regard. Bahrain have joined CITES back in 2012 as per a law ratified by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on June 7, 2012; Law 27 of 2012.