KARACHI: Shark landings in Pakistan have decreased by over 85 per cent in five decades, which is more than the average decline in shark resources in the world, stated the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) on Friday, suggesting a ban on the catch of endangered shark species and import and export of shark fins.
The statement has come against the backdrop of a recent global analysis of oceanic sharks and rays according to which global populations of these species have suffered a 71pc drop since 1970.
The piece contributed by 20 top shark scientists of the world and published in the Nature journal concluded that overfishing was the main reason for this decline as the number of fishing fleets engaged in shark catch for meat and fins has tripled in five decades.
The scientists extrapolated that of 31 species of sharks and rays examined, 21 were currently facing risks of extinction, as about 100 million sharks are caught each year.
“Once abundant in shark fisheries, Pakistan saw substantial increase in shark production during the 1990s when dedicated shark fisheries using bottom-set longline and gillnet were introduced and Ormara and Jiwani in Balochistan turned into main shark fishing centres,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, the technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-P.
The shark meat was locally utilised whereas its fins were exported to Hong Kong and China. Targeted shark fisheries closed down in the country since 2004, he added.
He pointed out that two species — Pondicherry shark and tentacled butterfly ray — earlier quite common in Pakistan were now being considered to be categorised under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as extinct in the wild.
“There may be many other species whose resources are threatened and may collapse. Some shark species have been harvested to such a level that these have become extremely rare. In case of rays, their landings have decreased by 75pc in Pakistan,” he said, emphasising the need to control shark fishing efforts.
In 2012, the WWF-P initiated a programme to collect information about oceanic sharks and rays and found that catches of most oceanic sharks, for instance oceanic white-tip shark, thresher shark, shortfin mako shark and mobulids have declined to an extent that their population may go extinct.
According to the organisation, there are a number of sharks that have been placed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and their international trade is controlled.
The species of oceanic white-tip shark, mako shark, thresher shark mobulids, guitar fish and wedge fish are included in the Appendix-II. Their export under the national legislation is not permitted. In order to control their fishing, both the Sindh and Balochistan governments enacted legislations in 2016 to regulate catching and marketing of these species.
Rab Nawaz, senior director programmes at WWF-P, emphasised the need for conservation and management steps for shark resources including banning harvesting of endangered shark species and import and export of shark fins.
“The organisation has recommended important shark hotspots such as the Indus Canyon, which may immediately be declared a marine protected area. Additionally, there is a need for more research on sharks and rays in Pakistan.”
Commenting on this decline, Andy Cornish, WWF’s Global Shark Leader said, “Many of the shark species in the Indian Ocean are in danger due to a lack of proper management in fisheries. This challenge is further exacerbated by the lack of credible data on the catches of several species of shark including but not limited to highly exploited species.
“The organisation is committed to the protection and conservation of sharks and rays and recognises the urgent need to improve the protection and recovery of these key species.”
Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2021
