Experts call for national plan for conservation of sharks

Dr Andy Cornish of WWF-Hong Kong says Pakistan is ranked as eighth highest exporter
of shark fins and is considered to be an important shark-fishing country

Karachi

With little to no legal protection against their hunting, the shark population along Pakistan's coast are at great risk as fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan continue to hunt them for export of their fins or extraction of liver oil. This was said by experts on Monday as they stressed the need for a national plan of action to conserve the endangered marine animal.

The speakers discussed the gravity of the scenario during the three-day-workshop “Developing Developing conservation and management measures and assessing the vulnerability of sharks to address CITES issues; Endorsing the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for sharks in Pakistan” organised by WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with Ministry of Climate Change at a local hotel.

Shedding light on what leads to their deaths, Technical Advisor, Marine Fisheries WWF-Pakistan, Muhammed Moazzam Khan pointed out that gillnet fisheries contribute to a high mortality rate of sharks. While WWF-Pakistan is currently working with fisheries as well as wildlife departments to declare sharks as protected species, Khan said that that a National Plan of Action for conservation of sharks must be devised for their conservation.

He further explained that when a shark gets entangled in a net, the former damages the latter which incurs a loss for fishermen hence they prefer killing the fish to save their nets. But thanks to the efforts of WWF, fishermen are now being taught about the importance of sharks to control their mortality rate. It was also told that sawfishes are also treated in the same way, most of which are near extinction.

Dr Andy Cornish, Global Shark Program Leader WWF-Hong Kong, said that Pakistan is ranked as eighth highest exporter of Shark fins and is considered to be an important shark-fishing country. He mentioned that WWF has initiated projects about shark conservation in three countries namely Pakistan, Indonesia and India.  Dr. Cornish maintained that global demand for shark meat is increasing and with new markets emerging in South America there would be a serious impact on shark fishing in developing countries of the world. He agreed with Khan on making a preservation plan for sharks in all major fishing nations so as to ensure that resources are conserved. 

Umair Shahid, Coordinator WWF-Pakistan said that sharks have declined substantially during the last few decades. Some of the shark species, during this period, have become critically endangered because some species have been exploited beyond their sustainable limits.

Stumbling upon shark species via accidental entanglements 

He emphasised on the need to develop comprehensive plan for conservation and protection of sharks in Pakistan. He pointed out that sharks have an immense ecological significance as they help in maintain the optimal functioning of marine ecosystem.

Dr. M. Shoaib Kiani, Assistant Professor, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Karachi said there were only a few locations in the world where the species of whale sharks aggregations have been reported. It is commonly found in Pakistan off Indus delta, Churna Island West of Karachi, Ormara and Jiwani, he said. It was interesting to know that practically most information about these sea animals was obtained through accidental entanglements in fishing gears specifically gillnets. No dedicated research is carried out about this largest extant fish in Pakistan.

Dr. Kiani added that a recent project by Coastal Scientific Society along the Balochistan coast has generated important baseline information about whale sharks which will serve as a useful reference for future dedicated research. ‘’A tangible way of initiating long term management and conservation is preparation of national action plan for sharks with relevant stakeholders and its ambitious implementation’’, he said.

Director Marine Fisheries Department, Government of Pakistan, Waseem Khan, said that fish production from marine sector was decreasing proving exploitation of marine resources in general with special attention sharks and rays.

He also said that current stock assessment surveys shows that fish stocks have remained one third that of observed in 1980s. He called for immediate management measures for conservation and re-building of these resources. He also suggested that in order to restore the fish stocks, the existing fishing fleets should be reduced by 50 percent.

A research in Balochistan from 2008-2010 titled ‘Assessment of Shark catch landing on Balochistan coast’ confirmed population of 30 different shark species, revealed Umair Waqas, Coordinator, WWF-Pakistan.

Humaira Ayesha, Manager Conservation, WWF-Pakistan, Abdul Rahim, formerly associated with WWF-Pakistan, Ghulam Qadir Shah, National Coordinator, Mangroves for Future, IUCN and others also spoke during the workshop.