KARACHI: Experts believe that sawfish species have become extinct in the country's seas as no reports appeared about the endangered marine vertebrate for the last two years.
They said this during a webinar on the International Sawfish Day observed on Monday.
They said that due to multiple threats to the sawfish species, they were already on the brink of extinction. They said that joint efforts should be made to conserve these magnificent marine animals.
This day is celebrated to raise awareness about these critically endangered elasmobranches and highlight the threats they face. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, some species of sawfish are classified as critically endangered while others are endangered.
These species are also included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix-I and are protected under Sindh and Balochistan Fisheries laws since 2016.
Three species of sawfish, the knife-tooth, large-tooth and large-comb were reported in the past from Pakistan.
Once abundantly found in Pakistani waters, sawfish species have become extinct locally. Therefore, WWF-Pakistan urges taking necessary steps for the conservation of these marine animals.
Sawfish, which are related to sharks, have a unique long, narrow, flattened nostril, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw.
There have been at least five records of large-tooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) from Pakistan in the last decade. In May 2018, a 15-foot-long female large-tooth sawfish was caught by a fisherman near Khajar Creek.
Another specimen was caught in the same area in June 2013. Similarly, two specimens were caught in September 2009 and January 2016 in Sur Bunder, near Gwadar, Balochistan.
Commenting on challenges facing the sawfish species, Andy Cornish said that all five sawfish species are either critically endangered or endangered, which is one or two steps away from extinction.
The main threats to sawfish include habitat degradation, pollution, commercial, recreational and unregulated fishing. He lamented that large-tooth sawfish have disappeared from most of Africa and Asia, including Pakistan, with last hope spots remaining in South America, Australia and South Asia.
"Environmental DNA (eDNA) studies of sawfish can help conserve these magnificent animals and develop their management plans," he added.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor (Marine Fisheries), WWF-Pakistan, said that these splendid marine animals are on the brink of extinction globally, whereas three species (knife-tooth, large tooth and large-comb) of sawfish are now considered to be locally extinct.
Khan said that there was once a considerably large sawfish fishery in Pakistan, mainly found in Miani Hor (Sonmiani), Kalmat Khor, Jiwani, Gwadar and along the entire Indus Delta, particularly Khajar Creek.
He also pointed out that the sawfish population is declining rapidly throughout the world because of overfishing, entanglement in nets, fishing gear, habitat loss, and curio trade. "They also are in demand for sharkfin soup in East Asia," he added.
In addition to fishing, habitat degradation is also an important factor that has resulted in the decline or possible local extinction of sawfish as local power plants and other industries are continuously being built in locations where sawfishes were previously found, such as Gwadar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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