United Arab Emirates · Spearfishing zone

Sir Bu Nair Island Marine Protected Area

Prohibited zoneno-take marine reserve

What this zone is

Overview

How spearfishing is treated at Sir Bu Nair Island Marine Protected Area.

Sir Bu Nair (Sir Abu Nu'ayr), a Sharjah-administered island ~103 km offshore in the Arabian Gulf. It is the UAE's first no-take Marine Protected Area, where fishing has been prohibited since 2000. Ramsar site and IUCN Green List protected area covering ~50.3 km2 (13.3 km2 terrestrial, 36.3 km2 marine). Spearfishing/fishing not permitted.

On the coast

Location

Approximate reference point for this zone. See the full picture on the interactive map.

25.2319°N, 54.2222°E

View on the map

Source

This zone is documented in the official source below.

iucngreenlist.org

Before you dive

License for United Arab Emirates

Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.

License requiredvia Per-emirate environment authority (e.g. Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi; Dubai Municipality), under MOCCAE federal framework.

Apply through the relevant emirate authority. In Abu Dhabi, apply via the 'Tamm' government services portal (EAD). In Dubai, via Dubai Municipality. Spearfishing requires a recreational licence for using a speargun.

Get your license

Opens the official portal · mediaoffice.abudhabi

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