true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

Snoopy Island ISRA

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Snoopy Island ISRA

Snoopy Island

Summary

Snoopy Island is located along the coast of the Gulf of Oman in the United Arab Emirates. It is a small rocky outcrop located ~200 m off the coastline with a sandy and rocky seafloor. Snoopy Island lies within the Al Aqah Marine Protected Area. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus).

Snoopy Island

Snoopy Island

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Snoopy Island is located along the coast of the Gulf of Oman in the United Arab Emirates. It is a small rocky island located ~200 m from the coast, with three sections of rising rocks. On the east side of the island, the depth is 2–3 m, and large boulders and brain coral clusters can be found. On the western side, a vertical wall falls to 5–6 m depth with a mix of sandy and rocky substrates (Hellyer & Aspinall 2005).

Snoopy Island lies within the Al Aqah Marine Protected Area.

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 6 m depth based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

The one Qualifying Species within the area is considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The Blacktip Reef Shark is assessed as Endangered (Rigby et al. 2021).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Snoopy Island is an important area for undefined aggregations of one shark species.
Blacktip Reef Sharks are regularly and predictably observed aggregating in the area year-round (D Mateos-Molina unpubl. data 2012–2023). Aggregations generally consist of groups of 3–10 individuals ranging in size up to 150 cm total length. These aggregations are seen during daylight hours, with a high frequency of observations by divers (often every day), where the sharks appear to be swimming in circles around the island, remaining over the shallow coral reef habitat. This is the only known regular aggregation of this species across the southern coast of the United Arab Emirates and is a popular dive site (D Mateo-Molina unpubl. data 2023). Further information is required to define the nature and function of these aggregations.

Snoopy Island

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