A shoal of million fish

I recently visited Umm Al Quwain after a gap of two years. The harbour had not changed one bit since I last saw it.

Broken abandoned boats, discarded nets, piles of ropes, floats, weights and other things left behind by fishermen dotted the area.

I began looking for seagulls and terns that are known to hover around harbours. In the distance, I could see a small flock of little terns diving into the sea. I realised that they were not after dead fish or other sea animals thrown into the water by the fishermen.

As I reached a half-broken jetty, I realised why the terns were diving furiously.

Thousands of fish fingerlings lined a stretch of about 200 metres by one metre along the shoreline, where dozens of boats were anchored after their overnight (or early morning) fishing trip.

The scene was reminiscent of images seen on Animal Planet and Discovery television channels, detailing migration of sardines, sharks, dolphins and tuna, chasing a school of small fish. Suddenly, a few large fish appeared from nowhere and began devouring the fingerlings in a frenzy, scattering them all over the place.

Seeing this, the terns and gulls also flocked to the area in order to get a share of the meal. It was indeed an experience of a lifetime.