Sharks & Rays of the Arabian/Persian Gulf (Paperback)

The Gulf has a unique diversity of sharks and rays, but for many years their correct identification has been problematic. This fully illustrated book - the first of its kind to focus on the Gulf - brings together the latest research and years of work by the authors to provide a clear and comprehensive guidebook. For each species known to occur in the Gulf, colour images, identification features, and notes on distribution, abundance, ecology and conservation status are provided. Images and information are also provided on those species from nearby sea areas that might turn up in Gulf fish markets. Sharks & Rays of the Arabian/Persian Gulf will be of interest to all those with an interest in the Gulf's marine environment or in marine wildlife such as divers, anglers, natural history enthusiasts, conservationists, research biologists and government fisheries staff.

Dareen Almojil's research focuses on understanding factors that drive population structure, mate choice and fitness in sharks. As part of her fieldwork she has sampled sharks and rays landing sites across different regional countries including: Kuwait, Bahrain. UAE, Oman, Yemen and Pakistan. She has also presented Shark Identification workshops aimed to build the capacity of local governmental fisheries enumerators and researchers. The initial difficulty that she faced in identifying some of the regional sharks and rays species was her main driver to push for the Sharks and Rays of the Arabian/Persian Gulf book. The biodiversity, ecology and fisheries of sharks and rays of the Gulf were the subject of Alec Moore's PhD, and he has published numerous scientific articles on this topic. Alec's motivation for participating in this book started in 2001, when the sharks and rays he was seeing in Kuwaiti fish markets could not be identified using the very limited selection of guides available. Since then, he has identified thousands of sharks and rays in markets and harbours around the Gulf. This work has led to exciting finds, such as new species of rays and the rediscovery of a very rare shark species unique to Arabian waters. His continuing research is focused on the science to support the conservation and sustainable management of Gulf sharks and rays. William White has worked on the ecology, taxonomy and biogeography of sharks and rays for over 12 years and has published numerous scientific articles, books and book chapters on these topics. William's interest in the biogeography of sharks and rays, particularly in the lndo-Pacific region, led him to become involved in this book while trying to gather information on rare and new species occurring in the Gulf region. William has authored descriptions of more than 50 new sharks and rays, including from the Gulf. William's focus in recent years has been on the shark and ray resources of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.