The Orange (Or Brown?) Spotted Grouper: Dying Out? Introduction to a Series

A Hamour/Orange spotted grouper seen at a special buffet at Doha's lively W Hotel. 

In a previous life, I'd written this article on the tribulations of trying to continue a traditional life of troll fishing (not to be confused with either "trawl fishing" or "internet trolling") in Qatari waters. The article found at the link above is a very different beast from what I'd intended when I set out--the structure and the aims of the story changed considerably over the summer of 2013. What I want to get at over a series of posts on the catching of the orange spotted grouper in Qatari waters, interspersed with other posts, is the data/statistics side to the story. 

Anybody who has ever had two good meals in the Gulf knows the glory that is the hamour: it is the Cod of the Gulf, a non-fishy fish for people who don't like the taste of the sea but want its nutrient goodness. Like other groupers, its meaty, white flesh has that feeling of creamy decadence more easily found in a burger. The problem is, just like cod were at one point, they're dying out.   

Hamour brought ashore by Qatari fishing boats in tons, 2004 to 2010. Source: Qatari Ministry of Environment. 

Nobody will ever admit to that, but the data from 2004 to 2010, and published by Qatar's Ministry of Environment do not lie. Unlike the hapless fishermen I profiled for Qulture, commercial fishing boats registered in Qatar have actually become more efficient: a decreasing average number of fishermen per boat (see later posts) have been reeling in huge catches, using (fairly crude) mesh-wire traps laid in the reefs which the hamour love. As the chart above shows, in fact, they've caught so many that there might not be enough left for the future. 

Why they did this is clear. During the period from 2004 to 2010 shown above, the population of Qatar nearly doubled. Unlike countries where the population growth is natural, Qatar's population was buoyed by droves of expatriates, at all pay levels, coming to town. 

One of the first things they'd want to do after getting here is to have a hamour dinner. The pressure on the population has a seemingly straightforward correlation with the price of the prized hamour ... 

The price of hamour continues to rise, even as the catch has peaked.  Source: Qatari Ministry of Environment. 

The story gets a little more complicated though. The next post in this series is going to look at the complicated nomenclature of the groupers found in the Gulf. Just as a taster: the next time you order a hamour at a restaurant, make sure it's not soman they're giving you.