Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi and His Love of Turtles

Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi talks about his love of turtles, helping the planet through sustainable fishing, and how sometimes your passion finds you

Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi grew up by the water. One of his earliest memories was being on a sailboat and being hit by a really big wave, and his fascination with the ocean and the world underwater continues to this day. This has meant having a thirst to learn as much about it as possible and becoming, in his words, “obsessed with marine life in general.”

He has a particular affinity for sea turtles because, besides being cute, they’re the best free divers and able to hold their breath for hours. “There’s something quite majestic when you see a sea turtle swimming in the ocean when you know that they can’t breathe underwater and yet they are at one with the water.”

BECOMING THE “TURTLE SHEIKH”
One day, during a freediving trip his Seafood Souq Co-Founder, Sean Dennis, found a turtle only a couple of years old, wrapped in a plastic bag. They named it Tiago, set it free and posted the moment on Instagram, which got picked up by the media.

Nine months later during another diving trip, Sheikh Fahim saw a swimming turtle that didn’t look quite right. “I decided to leave it alone because I wasn’t sure what to do and I continued freediving. But I felt uneasy. I told myself that if the turtle was still there when I went back, then I’d know something was wrong.”

Something was wrong. She was tangled in fishing line and unable to come up for air. After cutting away the line that was wrapped around her neck and tore her flipper to the bone, Sheikh Fahim called the environmental agency, which sent a boat to take the turtle to Sharjah.

Sheikh Fahim called her Farah, and he started watching her recovery under the care of Jumeirah’s Turtle Rehabilitation Sanctuary, which works with The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP). Run in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, with veterinary support provided by the Dubai Falcon Clinic and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, DTRP has been working to save turtles since 2004 and has released almost 2,000 rehabilitated turtles back into the ocean.

Owing to the similarity in structure between bird wings and turtle flippers, Dr Panos Azmanis from the Dubai Falcon Hospital operated on Farah. Unfortunately, her flipper had to be amputated, but with the care of the team at the sanctuary, she was able to be released.

“I must mention the people who work tirelessly to save these creatures. I was happy to join the project [as an ambassador] to help raise awareness of protecting the turtles, particularly since they breed on both sides of our coast,” said Sheikh Fahim.

When Farah got the green light for release, Sheikh Fahim cried. “I’m a very emotional person. I cry often and I’m the first one to admit it. There’s an Arab saying that saltwater heals, like going into the ocean is good for the soul. Nowadays people will say saltwater in terms of sweat is good for you, so we work out. Tears are also salty, and I have a firm belief in having a good cry every now and then. I think crying is one of the biggest litmus tests as to whether or not you care, and when I cried during Farah’s release it was a clear sign from my body that this actually meant something. Crying is a natural, human response to certain situations and if you feel like having a good cry, have a good cry.”      

THE NEXT GENERATION
Sheikh Fahim never actively sought to dedicate himself to turtle rescue and conservation. But he considers himself fortunate that he found it and he can make a difference. “I’ve been involved in a few businesses here and there, and the ones that have commanded most of my time, and the ones where I have done the best are the ones that are involved in the ocean.”

Since rescue teams cannot be everywhere at once, the line 800 TURTLE was set up for emergency calls which don’t always come at the most convenient times.

One weekend, when his kids were in Pre-K, a call came through from someone who found a large, sick turtle that needed around four people to carry it. Sheikh Fahim was out with his family and after a couple of phone calls, he managed to find an available boat and somebody with a powerboat license.

“In that situation, what do you do with your family? You bring them along. On Monday morning when the boys went to school, the first thing they told their teacher about their weekend was that they saved a turtle.”

Ocean conservation has become an important topic in their classroom and Sheikh Fahim does ocean awareness talks, held during summer camps or midterm breaks, to explain what to do if they find a sick or injured sea turtle or how to pick up a turtle. “I put a towel down and I get the older kids to hold the corners and 10 eight-year-olds can lift me up. That teaches them how to work with the animals to help save them. That part is where I see the real impact in terms of raising the next generation.”

SEAFOOD SOUQ
Sheikh Fahim’s love for the ocean has extended into Seafood Souq – a transparent, B2B marketplace that aims to provide full traceability for fish. SFS Trace, a QR code available on the packaging tells consumers where the product came from, the producer, the ship it was on and when it arrived at its destination – ideal for consumers who are becoming more discerning about where their food comes from.

“We’re overfishing our oceans and wasting 45 per cent of what is caught. We can address that wastage and reduce illegal fishing if suppliers deploy our technology. We’ve gone around the world to different markets. We did 6,100 tonnes [in 2022], and there’s a lot more in the market,” he said.

From a start-up 4.5 years ago to full staff of 25 today, Seafood Souq is starting to partner with local businesses that have mandated the inclusion of traceability of its sourcing and is also an advisor to an NGO called the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability, which sets the protocols for what traceable seafood is and how to prove it.

“I’m fully aware that sea turtle conservation is very specific. These creatures have been around since the dinosaurs and a lot of people don’t know that. There’s hope that these creatures that have lasted a million years will continue to last. I say this very often: when I found Farah she didn’t make a sound. Turtles make little sounds here and there, but she wasn’t screaming for help. These animals do need a voice globally and I find that my mission is to give them a voice and help people understand what they are going through,” added Sheikh Fahim.

4 MAIN RISKS TO TURTLES

1. COLD STUNNING
   When water temperatures drop too quickly, turtles don’t swim around as much and then become covered in barnacles that weigh them down, making the turtles lethargic and causing them to wash up on beaches.
   If you find a turtle covered in barnacles – do not remove them. Call 800 TURTLE.
   
2. PLASTIC INGESTION
   Turtles love jellyfish which they confuse with floating plastic bags which, once eaten, compact their intestines, making them sick and lethargic and they often float to the surface.
   
3. BOAT STRIKES
   At the surface, turtles can be struck by boats and three of the permanent residents at the sanctuary – Humpty, Dumpty, and Propeller – are there because of it. Humpty and Dumpty’s shells are now deformed causing buoyancy issues and they are unable to dive and will not survive in the ocean; Propeller was hit by a boat propeller and her back flippers are now paralysed. All three are members of the awareness campaign.
   
4. ENTANGLEMENT
   Turtles often get caught in nets and fishing lines, and they often die as a result.

This article appeared in Issue 002 – the Men’s Edition