The Final Frontier

Last year the UAE harvested the biggest crop of sailfish in the world, yet it is unexploited as a sport fishing destination. But not for much longer, found Anne Renahan.

Sailfish look pretty mean. Fish with long bills as sharp as swords and just as lethal. "They're about 7 or 8 feet long and weigh about 60 pounds (25 kilos)," says Andy deMar, one of the most experienced deep sea fishermen in the UAE. "And they can cause some serious damage."

It's very early on a Friday morning at the end of September and Andy is preparing his first trip of the season which starts in October when the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf start to cool down.

At about 35 degrees centigrade, the sea is still a little too warm for the fish that Andy, who is tanned and sun bleached blonde, is looking for. "The temperature should really be about 29 degrees," he says. "But its good to get out and see what is happening."

Sailfish are one of the most exciting game fish in the world. Highly sought after by dedicated fishermen who travel the oceans looking for fresh waters to fish and new challenges to pit their wits against. Named for the its large dorsal fin that looks a sail, it's no ordinary fish and it's a catch for no ordinary fishermen.

Deep sea fishing is an exciting sport and a very lucrative one. People will pay a lot of money for battling against the big fish of the sea which is why Andy who was brought up in Kenya where his family have been full time fishermen for three generations, is very excited about last season.

Last year, the UAE harvested the biggest crop of sailfish in the world.

"Last year was brilliant," says 37-year-old Andy who has been living in the UAE for the last 18 years. "We can only fish during the winter, but I caught 200 sailfish in 24 trips. In the States where they can fish every day they only caught 500. If we could fish every day of the year, then just imagine how much we could catch."

Andy says that sailfish are not caught as food. "There are strict rules for sailfish," says Andy. "They must be tagged and released back into the water after they've been hooked according to international fishing rules."

Andy, who works for a local company, but runs weekend fishing trips and has won many local deep sea fishing tournaments, says that the UAE's fisheries are one of the best kept secrets in the fishing world.

"It's the last frontier of tourism here," says Andy as he steers his 28 foot boat out of Dubai International Marine Club. "It's really quite amazing. The UAE has exploited all its other options. This is the only one that's left."

But not for very much longer. Andy says that rumours of last year's spectacular fish quota have reached the ears of a deep sea specialist from England who intends to put the UAE on the international deep sea fishing map.

"Things will change. He expects that about 1000 people a year will come here," says Andy. "And these are people who fish as a full time activity. They spend their holidays visiting good fishing spots all over the world. And they'll pay a lot of money to do it. It's a pretty big step."

At the moment , Andy only runs weekend trips, Until now, the demand, although increasing hasn't warranted weekday expeditions. "That would change if the fishing is as good this year as it was last season," says Andy. "If that's the case, I'll bring out a professional crew from Africa and they'll fish most days of the week."

Andy's trips usually last eight hours or longer and start literally at the crack of dawn. "It's a long day out in the sun, but you need to go out for longer if you want to see the real thing," he says. Some trips are longer. "When there's a deep sea fishing tournament, you can be out nearly all day: leaving at 6am and getting back about 5pm."

Every boat is equipped with a number of fishing rods that are threaded with bait, small fish or large colourful lures, brightly decorated fake fish. It takes some time to thread all the bait (Andy has nine fishing rods), but once that task is completed, all that can be done is wait. It looks relatively simple, but with as many as nine different lines trailing through the water, if you don't know what you're doing, things can get very tangled up.

But deep sea fishing is not just for the experts. Most of the big hotels and yacht clubs run deep sea fishing trips that cater for tourists who may have no fishing experience. Most trips last about four hours and cover about 20 miles. People can expect to catch barracuda and hammour rather than the more challenging sailfish says Andy.

"Interest in deep sea fishing has really increased over the last few years," says Samatha Periris, a receptionist at the Jebel Ali Marine Club which runs fishing packages. "There's interest from locals and from people working in the UAE. I think that people are starting to realise that this is one of the things that the UAE has going for it. It's becoming a really promising tourist attraction."

Taher Kayali is the owner of Fenikia Marina, a company which runs fishing trips for the Jumeira Beach Hotel. He says that many tourists are drawn to the sport because it takes them out of their ordinary lives and makes them feel as if they are living an adventure."Deep sea fishing is exciting. The boat has to be manoeuvred a certain way. It's not simple fishing," he says.

Especially in the case of the feisty sailfish which refuses to be merely hooked and reeled in. Andy says that sailfish are popular because, once hooked, they put up a fight that can result in injury if the fisherman doesn't know what he's doing. "There's a guy in the States who hooked a sailfish and caught its bill in his neck," says Andy.

"The fish was struggling, twisting and leaping out of the water Ð it's an incredible sight Ð when the bill went straight through the guys mouth and came clean out of his throat. You have to be really careful," he says pointing to his long sleeved blue shirt which is snagged with a number of holes and rips. " The merest touch of that bill is like the roughest touch of sandpaper. That's why I wear this shirt."

Andy, whose family's origins are French and Swedish, has spent his life on the sea. Fishing is almost part of his personality. "But it's not an easy life. My family spend most of their waking hours on the sea," he says as he steers the boat towards the waters off Umm al Qawain where there is some "good sailfishing". He also says it is a sport that can be taken up lightly. "It's not cheap," he says shaking his head. Andy's boat is worth US$100,000. He has nine fishing rods and each costs about $900. "It's an expensive sport," he says.

Greg Clark works with Andy during the week and fishes with him at weekends. He has also been in the UAE for 18 years and is building his own fishing boat. He steers Andy's boat whilst Andy hooks some bait in the hot morning sun. It's not the best of days to be out on the high seas. The wind is strong and the waves are high. "Probably one of the worst days to be out," says Greg grinning broadly.

Greg describes himself and other local deep sea fishermen as a "weekend warriors". A tall man with grey hair and pale blue-grey eyes, he scours the sea for signs of sailfish. "You can always tell where the sailfish are because there'll be a big group of birds flying low over the sea. Any kind of activity, dolphins or birds indicate that some kind of feeding frenzy is going on and that means that you'll be in luck." Greg says that deep sea fishing is thrilling because of the fight. "You have to battle with the fish ," he says as he keeps his eyes on the horizon. "It's invigorating."

Although sailfish are the most spectacular to catch, they are not the only fish in the sea. Greg says that the waters around the UAE are filled with a wide variety of excellent game fish: king fish, queen fish, barracuda, dorrada and tune are plentiful. "You can compare this place to Costa Rica and Venezuela where the fishing is excellent," he says.

Ian Veall, a 34-year-old aviation lawyer discovered sailfishing after being in the UAE for two years. He now spends most weekends at sea "Catching something for the first time is very exciting," says Ian as he reels in the first catch of the day, a fat silver tuna."

Sailish can weigh more than 100 pounds, although average catches are usually a lot less. But whatever they weight they're never easy to reel in. Ian has to wear a harness to reel in his 15 pound tuna. All deep sea fishing boats boast a chair that is placed at the back of the boat, facing out to sea. But it's not for the view. For really big fish (or if you just feel the need to sit down), its a good idea to use the chair. "It means you can reel the fish in better says Greg as he hauls in the second catch of the day, another tuna weighing about eight pounds.

Ian says that deep sea fishing is not necessarily the man's only sport you might think it is. Ian's wife fishes regularly and he says that for many couples that fish, it is the woman who is more enthusiastic than the man. Still, the sport has a macho reputation Ð mostly derived from the novels of Ernest Hemingway, the man's man and American writer who spent a lot of his time fishing the Florida Straights between Cuba and Key West.

Like Cuba and Florida, fishing has always been an important part of everyday life in the UAE. The Qawasim, whose descendants now rule Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimaj were a sea-faring clan based in Ras al-Khaimah. Their influence extended to the Persian Gulf.

Andy says that the increasing popularity of deep sea fishing in the UAE is an extension of the regions seafaring past.

Andy says that although most of his clients are expatriates, many local fishermen enter the deep sea fishing tournaments that run throughout the season. "As deep sea fishing gets more popular, the number of tournaments increases," says Andy, who landed the biggest sailfish Ð 92 pounds Ð ever caught in the UAE in one of last years tournaments.

The tournaments are about prestige. Fishermen not only pit their wits against the fish, they compete with other fishermen.

The winner is usually the person who has caught the biggest fish. But Andy says that tournaments that judge the winner on the number of fish hooked (they require fishermen to tag and release catches) are a better judge of a fisherman's skill. "Catching a big fish is down to luck," says Andy. "But the number of fish you catch has a lot more to do with skill."

Jebel Ali Marina Tournament will be held on 20 November DIMC Tournament will be held on 27 November