Looking to hook tourists

FUJAIRAH // A fortnight before the Formula One circus rolls into Abu Dhabi, another - albeit less glamourous - sporting showcase debuts in the east coast emirate of Fujairah today. Ten regional and international teams will cast off in the inaugural Fujairah Classic, a sports fishing tournament offering its winning team the bait of a berth in next year's International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore World Championship in Mexico.

The three-day big fish event, where the winning team will be the one who land the heaviest catch, is being touted as Fujairah's entry into the worldwide sports fishing scene. Indeed, harnessing the Indian Ocean's abundant fish stocks to elevate the east coast as a must-see destination for the globe's ever-increasing fraternity of recreational anglers remains the organisers' primary objective. "Sport fishing can have three major benefits to a country, all of which fit our tagline - sustainability though sport," said Bruce Fennessey, the tournament director.

"What that means is showing how sport fishing can boost tourism, youth development in sport, and benefit the local society. Recreational fishing is a major pastime globally. In America alone, there are 57 million anglers and it accounts for more than a US$1billion (Dh3.67bn) a year in revenue. That's something we're looking to improve in the Middle East. "Sport fishing can be a very lucrative and something that benefits society. It doesn't happen straight away, and it takes five or six years to turn a corner. But it is a good start to hold a tournament like this in an area like Fujairah."

Sustainability is top of the organisers' agenda. To preserve fish stocks the event has strict catch limits, and will operate a "catch and release" policy for specific pelagic species, such as marlin and sailfish. "We want to build sports fishing in Fujairah, so we're focusing on the environment," said Fennessey. "Without fish there is no tournament, and there are only a very limited amount of species that we'll target. We have catch limits - that's a maximum of four fish, per day, per species.

"The onus is on the angler. If they look at a fish and think it won't make the cut, the idea is to release it back into the water." According to Fennessey, seasonal averages of certain species - those which can be brought ashore and weighed - could see the Fujairah Classic's winning catch top the scales at more than 75kgs. "We're looking at certain species: mahi mahi, dorado, yellowfin tuna, kingfish, queenfish, Spanish king mackrel - they are all generally, at this of year, between eight and 50kg. But the tuna can get right up to 120kgs," he said.

Feennessey's view of the rich supply of fish stocks off the Fujairah coastline was supported by Patrick Antaki, the general manager of Le Meridien Al Aqah, which is hosting the event alongside the Fujairah International Marine Club. "From what I have heard, the numbers of marlin and sail fish on the west coast has dwindled but in Fujairah, you can have catches galore," he said. @Email:emegson@thenational.ae

Zayed Sustainability Prize

Youth take centre stage for this year's Zayed Sustainability Prize

What is the Zayed Sustainability Prize?

Other workplace saving schemes

The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Almnssa

Started: August 2020

Founder: Areej Selmi

Based: Gaza

Sectors: Internet, e-commerce

Investments: Grants/private funding

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The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

New schools in Dubai

The biog

Name: Marie Byrne

Nationality: Irish

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption

Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston

Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams

Arabian Gulf League fixtures:

Friday:

Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm

Saturday:

Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm

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PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)

Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)

Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)

Seven tips from Emirates NBD

1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details

2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet

3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details

4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure

5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties

6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies

7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately

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pakistan Test squad

Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari

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SUZUME

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MO

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