Fishing in breeding season threatens sharks population

Sharks are being caught indiscriminately in their breeding season at an alarming rate along Pakistan`s coast, particularly in Balochistan`s waters, as no government intervention exists to raise awareness among fishermen about the fast-depleting marine asset, it was learnt on Monday.

Most shark species being caught are cited vulnerable, threatened, endangered or near threatened in the red data list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to the findings of a WWF-Pakistan project.

Experts believed that the Worldwide Fund for Nature-Pakistan project`s report carried critical importance given the fact that there has been an 81 percent decline in shark landing registered since 1999 at the Karachi fish harbour on account of over-exploitation by local fishermen and operation of foreign fishing trawlers. They said many shark species were vulnerable to over-exploitation due to their biological characteristics of low-productive potential and, hence, having limited capacity to recover from fishing.

Under the two-year WWF project, surveys and regular monitoring were carried out at selected shark landing sites in Jiwani, Bandri, Ganz and Pishukan. Relevant information was also collected from Gwadar. The project recorded the extent of over-exploitation of different shark species, the status of catch and obtained information on trade. Dawn

“This is significant as no such work focusing on sharks has earlier been done in these areas,” claimed WWF`s senior conservation officer Umer Waqas, who carried out the project, while speaking to.

Big catch in breeding season

Waqas said that fishermen in Balochistan considered the period between April and August as the best season to catch sharks that in fact was the breeding season for most shark species found in these waters. “Most fishermen do not have large boats to go for off-shore fishing and they catch sharks when they move towards the coastal waters, mainly for breeding purposes. Most female sharks caught during this period have pups in their wombs.

Hence, fishing sharks in these months is having the worst impact on shark population,” he said. Around 50 to 100 small-sized sharks, including the endangered species, were caught as a by-catch at the project sites on a daily basis, he said, adding that the number of targeted catch - the shark size varied from two feet to 12 feet - ranged between 1,000 and 1,500 per day at one site during the season. At other places, the catch could be double or triple (much higher), he added.

Jiwani, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara and the towns of Ganz and Pishukan located between Jiwani and Gwadar were hotspots for fishing shark in Balochistan where a selected number of fishermen were involved in the activity, he said, adding that the stock from factories and collection units was then transported to Karachi in containers. Regarding the methods being employed for catching shark, Waqas said that both special hooks and nets were used while some fishermen also used meat of dolphin and finless porpoise as bait.

However, he said, they received a very low return of the catch (ie between Rs100 and Rs150 for a kilo).

Besides, they had no knowledge that shark`s fin had greater value than its meat. “While sharks are also consumed locally as finger fish, its meat and fins are exported to countries like China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Iranian fishermen through local contacts also sell their shark catch here,” he said.

Shark species and threats

Under the WWF study, over 30 different shark species belonging to 10 families were recorded. They included hammerhead shark, grey bamboo shark, blacktip reef shark, spottail shark, pelagic thresher shark, spadenose shark, bull shark, sliteye shark, short-fin mako shark and pigeye shark.

Talking about the threats to sharks, Mr Waqas said that most sharks were ovoviviparous, meaning eggs were hatched within mother`s body unlike bony fish which laid hundreds and thousands of eggs in the water. Female sharks preferred to release the young in sheltered areas or in bays, he said, adding that Jiwani was a potential site along with Gwadar bay.

“That`s why we say that they have low productive potential. Some big sharks also eat pups of other sharks or even of their own. Once pups are out of mother`s body, they are fully capable to take care of themselves,” he observed.

Conservation steps

While recommending measures for conservation, Mr Waqas said there was a need for legislation and indigenous action plan to protect sharks, besides implementing the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) mandatory rules and regulations on sustainable fishing.

“Maintaining shark population is necessary if we want to prevent the breakdown of our ecosystems. Sharks are among the top predators of the seafood chain so we cannot afford to lose them. The Hindu