DOHA: Nearly 800 people are taking part in Katara’s annual Senyar traditional fishing and pearl diving competition, to be held from April 22 to 25.
This is the fourth edition of the championship and the biggest yet in terms of participation. From ten teams composed of 200 participants in its inaugural edition, Senyar grew to 59 teams comprising 638 competitors last year.
“We are proud of the number of participants increasing every year, which reflects the good reputation gained by Senyar, and this has become possible because of the continuous endeavours carried out by the people in charge of this competition, who are sparing no effort to make the competition successful,” said Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sualiti.
He was speaking during the first orientation meeting for the participants on Wednesday, during which he launched the logo for this year’s competition.
Katara, he said, was seeking to preserve Qatar’s maritime heritage and promote its traditions in the new generation, which is not familiar with the life of earlier generations.
Jihad Abdulrahman Al Jidah, chairman of the judging committee, said that the fourth edition of Senyar had registered 73 dhows with 800 competitors. He thanked Qatar Petroleum, the Diamond Sponsor of this year’s event.
Explaining the rules and conditions of the championship, Al Jidah said that in the traditional fishing contest, each competing team must not have more than 11 or less than ten Qataris. In Al Hadaq, there should be ten to 12 members, while in pearl diving there need to be eight to ten members.
This year, the organising committee has allowed each team to have two children aged less than ten years on the condition that each must be accompanied by a relative, and that whatever he gets will not be included in the weight of the catch. In addition, each team may also have a GCC citizen as member.
The dhow must be in good condition and pass a technical check-up. It should be equipped to sail during the four-day competition in all respects, including supplies of food and water as well as fishing equipment, fuel and other necessary things, he said.
The team which nets less than 20 percent of the catch of the first placed winner will not be allowed to participate in the next edition of the competition.
On pearl diving, he said only pearl oysters will be included in the weighing and it was not allowed to use underwater breathing apparatus when collecting the oysters. The team can send only one member to survey the areas where oysters can be found prior to the start of the competition.
Fishing must be done using traditional methods. There is another competition for the biggest fish, therefore such fish will not be included in the weight of the catch. It is also prohibited to catch some creatures, including tortoises, dolphins and sea cows. The fish must be fresh and stored well in ice, and fish that measures less than 15 cm as well as hamour fish that are less than 40 cm long will not be counted.
He stressed the need for the participants to abide by the rules to avoid sanctions. For example, if a team member is replaced during the competition or another boat comes to the competing boat without the knowledge of the committee, the team will be disqualified and sent back to Doha.
Non-compliance with the competition timings without a good reason and prior permission from the committee will result in a deduction of 50kg from the catch. The same sanction will apply to the team not wearing the agreed costume.
Complaints about the result must be filed within an hour of their announcement. Complaints must be submitted in writing along with a fee that will be refunded if the complaint is found valid, he said.
THE PENINSULA
