Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Elasmobranch Conservation, Challenges and Management Strategy in India : Recommendations from a National Consultative Meeting


Affiliations
1 ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
2 Department of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University, Sonipat 131 029, India
3 9 Aranya Farms, Shilaj, Ahmedabad 382 115, India
4 TRAFFIC India Office, New Delhi 110 003, India
5 Dakshin Foundation, #1818, 9th Cross, 5th Main Road, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru 560 092, India
6 Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Bengaluru 560 097, India
7 Fishery Survey of India, Cochin Base, Kochi 682 005, India
8 Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581, India
9 Zoological Survey of India, Chennai 600 028, India
10 Wildlife Trust of India, Delhi 201 301, India
11 Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru 570 017, India
12 Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi 682 508, India
13 WWF-India, ‘Prasanthi’, Kadavanthra, Kochi 682 020, India
14 Untamed Planet Films, Bengaluru 560 001, India
15 Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun 248 001, India
 

Historically, India has been projected as one of the major elasmobranch fishing nations in the world. However, management and conservation efforts are not commensurate with this trend. Along with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, several generic conservation measures are in place at the regional/local level. But India is still a long way from meeting global conservation commitments. We present here the status of elasmobranch management and conservation in India, with the specific objective of identifying the gaps in the existing set-up. We also present recommendations based on a national consultative workshop held at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, in February 2020. We recommend the implementation of a National Plan of Action (NPOA-Sharks) and more inclusive governance and policymaking for elasmobranch conservation in India.

Keywords

Consultative Meeting, Elasmobranch, Fisheries, Management and Conservation, Regulations.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Dulvy, N. K. et al., Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. Elife, 2014, 3, e00590; https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.005.

  • Stevens, J. D., Bonfil, R., Dulvy, N. K. and Walker, P. A., The effects of fishing on sharks, rays, and chimaeras (chondrichthyans), and the implications for marine ecosystems. ICES J. Mar. Sci., 2000, 57, 476–494.

  • Worm, B. et al., Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Mar. Policy, 2013, 40, 194–204.

  • Dulvy, N. K. et al., Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis. Curr. Biol., 2021, 31(21), 4773–4787.

  • Pacoureau, N. et al., Half a century of global decline in oceanic sharks and rays. Nature, 2021, 589(7843), 567–571.

  • Ferretti, F., Worm, B., Britten, G. L., Heithaus, M. R. and Lotze, H. K., Patterns and ecosystem consequences of shark declines in the ocean. Ecol. Lett., 2010, 13, 1055–1071.

  • Clarke, S., Milner-Gulland, E. J. and Trond, B., Social, economic, and regulatory drivers of the shark fin trade. Mar. Resour. Econ., 2007, 22(3), 305–327.

  • Cardeñosa, D. et al., CITES-listed sharks remain among the top species in the contemporary fin trade. Conserv. Lett., 2018, 11(4), e12457.

  • Cardeñosa, D., Fields, A. T., Babcock, E. A., Shea, S. K. H., Feldheim, K. A. and Chapman, D. D., Species composition of the largest shark fin retail-market in mainland China. Sci. Rep., 2020, 10(1), 12914; doi:10.1038/s41598-020-69555-1.

  • James, P. S. B. R., Sharks, rays and skates as a potential fishery resource off the east coast of India. In Proceedings of the Symposium on Living Resources of the Seas around India, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam Camp, 1973, pp. 483–494.

  • Jabado, R. W. et al., Troubled waters: threats and extinction risk of the sharks, rays and chimaeras of the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters. Fish Fish., 2018, 19(6), 1043–1062.

  • Martins, A. P. B. et al., Analysis of the supply chain and conservation status of sharks (Elasmobranchii: Superorder Selachimorpha) based on fisher knowledge. PLoS ONE, 2018, 13(3), e0193969; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193969.

  • Barbosa-Filho, M. L. V., Hauser-Davis, R. A., Siciliano, S., Dias, T. L. P., Alves, R. R. N. and Costa-Neto, E. M., Historical shark meat consumption and trade trends in a global richness hotspot. Ethnobiol. Lett., 2019, 10(1), 97–103.

  • Karnad, D., Sutaria, D. and Jabado, R. W., Local drivers of declining shark fisheries in India. Ambio, 2020, 49(2), 616–627.

  • Kizhakudan, S. J., Zacharia, P. U., Thomas, S., Vivekanandan, E. and Muktha, M., Guidance on National Plan of Action for Sharks in India, CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series-2, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi, 2015, pp. 1–102; ISBN ISSN 2394-8019.

  • Day, F., The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma, Fishes, London, UK, 1889, vol. 1, pp. i–xviii, 1–548, figures 1–164; vol. 2, pp. i–xiv, 1–509, figures 1–177.

  • Hanfee, F., Trade in Sharks and Shark Products in India, TRAFFIC-India, New Delhi, 1997, pp. 1–50.

  • Vannuccini, S., Shark utilization, marketing and trade. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 389, FAO, Rome, Italy, 1999, pp. 1–470.

  • Dent, F. and Clarke, S., State of the global market for shark products. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 590, FAO, Rome, Italy, 2015, pp. 1–187.

  • Okes, N. and Sant, G., An Overview of Major Shark Traders, Catchers, and Species, TRAFFIC, Cambridge, UK, 2019, pp. 1–38.

  • CMFRI, Annual Report 2020, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 2020, p. 284.

  • Edwards, H., When predators become prey: the need for International shark conservation. Ocean Coastal L. J., 2006, 12(2), 305–354.

  • Bhatt, J. R. and Vivekanandan, E., Coastal and marine biodiversity conservation in India. In Regional Symposium on Ecosystem Approaches to Marine Fisheries & Biodiversity, Kochi, 2013.

  • White, W. T. and Kyne, P. M., The status of chondrichthyan conservation in the Indo-Australasian region. J. Fish Biol., 2010, 76(9), 2090–2117.

  • Booth, H., Squires, D. and Milner-Gulland, E. J., The neglected complexities of shark fisheries, and priorities for holistic risk-based management. Ocean Coast. Manage, 2019, 182, 104994.

  • Bräutigam, A. et al., Global priorities for conserving sharks and rays: a 2015–2025 strategy. Global Sharks and Rays Initiative, 2015.

  • Dulvy, N. K. et al., Challenges and priorities in shark and ray conservation. Curr. Biol., 2017, 27, R565–R572; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.038.

  • Yan, H. F. et al., Overfishing and habitat loss drive range contraction of iconic marine fishes to near extinction. Sci. Adv., 2021, 7(7), eabb6026; doi:10.1126/sciadv.abb6026.

  • Akhilesh, K. V. et al., Status of sawfishes (Pristidae: Rhinopristiformes) in Indian waters. In Book of Abstracts, 12th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, Chennai, India, 5–7 May 2022, p. 670.

  • Akhilesh, K. V. et al. (eds), Report of the Consultative Workshop on Threatened and Protected Elasmobranchs of India: Conservation Status and Policy Needs, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi, 4–6 February 2020, pp. 1–32.

  • Mohamed, K. S. et al., Depleted and collapsed marine fish stocks along southwest coast of India – a simple criterion to assess the status. In Coastal Fishery Resources of India: Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation, Society of Fisheries Technologists, Cochin, 2010, pp. 67–76.

  • Davidson, L. N., Krawchuk, M. A. and Dulvy, N. K., Why have global shark and ray landings declined: improved management or overfishing? Fish Fish., 2016, 17(2), 438–458.

  • Sen, S. et al., Population dynamics and stock assessment of milk shark, Rhizoprionodon acutus (Ruppell, 1837) along Gujarat coast of India. Indian J. Mar. Sci., 2017, 46(5), 936–946.

  • Dash, S. S. et al., Population dynamics and stock assessment of spadenose shark Scoliodon laticaudus Muller and Henle 1839 along Gujarat coast of India. Indian J. Mar. Sci., 2019, 48(4), 423–433.

  • Sathianandan, T. V. et al., Status of Indian marine fish stocks: modelling stock biomass dynamics in multigear fisheries. ICES J. Mar. Sci., 2021, 78(5), 1744–1757.

  • Roy, S. D. and George, G., Marine resources of islands: status and approaches for sustainable exploitation/conservation with special emphasis to Andaman and Nicobar. Indian J. Anim. Sci., 2010, 80(4), 57–62.

  • Tyabji, Z., Wagh, T., Patankar, V., Jabado, R. W. and Sutaria, D., Catch composition and life history characteristics of sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii) landed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. PLoS ONE, 2020, 15(10), e0231069; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231069.

  • Kiruba-Sankar, R., Lohith Kumar, K., Saravanan, K. and Praveenraj, J., Poaching in Andaman and Nicobar coasts: insights. J. Coast. Conserv., 2019, 23, 95–109; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-018-0640-y.

  • CMFRI, Annual Report 2019. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 2019, p. 364.

  • CMFRI, Annual Report 2018–19. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 2019, p. 320.

  • Camhi, M., Sharks and their Relatives – Ecology and Conservation (No. 20), IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 1998, pp. 1–39.

  • Kizhakudan, S. J. et al., Report of FAO–CMFRI collaborative project: a study of shark and ray non-fin commodities in India. ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi, 2020, pp. 1–127.

  • Mukesh, S. P., Pandey, S. and Ramalingam, L., Marine fisheries data collection methods in India – an update. IOTC-2019-WPM10-21, 2019, p. 5; https://www.iotc.org/fr/documents/WPM/10/21

  • Srinath, M., Kuriakose, S. and Mini, K. G., Methodology for the Estimation of Marine Fish Landings in India, CMFRI Special Publication, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi, 2005, vol. 86, pp. 1–57.

  • Gupta, T., Karnad, D., Kottillil, S. and Gulland, E. M., Shark and ray research in India has low relevance to their conservation. Ocean Coast. Manage, 2022, 217, 106004.

  • Vivekanandan, E. and Zala, M. S., Whale shark fishery of Veraval. Indian J. Fish., 1994, 41(1), 37–40.

  • Pravin, P., Whale shark in the Indian coast – need for conservation. Curr. Sci., 2000, 79(3), 310–315.

  • Akhilesh, K. V., Bineesh, K. K., Gopalakrishnan, A., Jena, J. K., Basheer, V. S. and Pillai, N. G. K., Checklist of chondrichthyans in Indian waters. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. India, 2014, 56(2), 109–120.

  • Sutaria, D., Parikh, A., Barnes, A. and Jabado, R., First record of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae) from Indian waters. Mar. Biodivers. Rec., 2015, 8, E126; doi:10.1017/S1755267215001025.

  • Tyabji, Z., Jabado, R. W. and Sutaria, D., New records of sharks (Elasmobranchii) from the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago in India with notes on current checklists. Biodivers. Data J., 2018, 6, e28593; https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.6.e28593.

  • Barnes, A., Sutaria, D., Harry, A. V. and Jabado, R. W., Demographics and length and weight relationships of commercially important sharks along the north‐western coast of India. Aquat. Conserv., 2018, 28(6), 1374–1383.

  • Varghese, S. P., Vijayakumaran, K., Tiburtius, A. and Vaibhav, D. M., Diversity, abundance and size structure of pelagic sharks caught in tuna longline survey in the Indian seas. Indian J. Geo-Mar. Sci., 2015, 44(1), 26–36.

  • Varghese, S. P., Unnikrishnan, N., Gulati, D. K. and Ayoob, A. E., Size, sex and reproductive biology of seven pelagic sharks in the eastern Arabian Sea. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK, 2017, 97(1), 181–196.

  • Fernando, D. et al., New insights into the identities of the elasmo-branch fauna of Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 2019, 4585(2), 201–238.

  • Haque, A. B., White, W. T., Cavanagh, R. D., Biswas, A. R. and Hossain, N., New records of elasmobranchs in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh: further taxonomic research is essential. Zootaxa, 2021, 5027(2), 211–230.

  • Sukumaran, S. et al., Molecular analyses reveal a lack of genetic structuring in the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) along the Indian coast. Mar. Biodivers., 2020, 50(2), 1–6; https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01040-4.

  • Sreelekshmi, S., Sukumaran, S., Kishor, T. G., Sebastian, W. and Gopalakrishnan, A., Population genetic structure of the oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, along the Indian coast. Mar. Biodivers., 2020, 50(5), 1–5; https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01104-5.

  • CMFRI-FSI-DoF, Marine Fisheries Census 2016 – India. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research; Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Fishery Survey of India and Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, 2020, pp. 1–116.

  • Thomas, S. et al., Status of the hammerhead shark (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae) fishery in Indian waters with observations on the biology of scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834). Aquat. Conserv., 2021, 31(11), 3072–3086.

  • Gupta, T. et al., Mitigation of elasmobranch bycatch in trawlers: a case study in Indian fisheries. Front. Mar. Sci., 2020, 7, 1–17; https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00571.

  • Integrated Annual Report of Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (Mangrove Foundation) 2015–16 to 2019–2020. Mangrove Cell, Mumbai, 2020, pp. 1–192.

  • Beger, M., Harborne, A., Dacles, T., Solandt, J. and Ledesma, G., A framework of lessons learned from community-based marine reserves and its effectiveness in guiding a new coastal management initiative in the Philippines. Environ. Manage., 2005, 34, 786–801.

  • Zacharia, P. U. et al., Non-Detriment Findings (NDF) for the Export of Shark and Ray Species Listed in Appendix II of the CITES and Harvested from Indian Waters, CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series-6, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 2017, pp. 1–102.

  • CMFRI, Annual Report 2017–18. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 2018, p. 304.


Abstract Views: 223

PDF Views: 137




  • Elasmobranch Conservation, Challenges and Management Strategy in India : Recommendations from a National Consultative Meeting

Abstract Views: 223  |  PDF Views: 137

Authors

K. V. Akhilesh
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Shoba Joe Kizhakudan
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
M. Muktha
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
T. M. Najmudeen
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Sujitha Thomas
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Divya Karnad
Department of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University, Sonipat 131 029, India
Dipani Sutaria
9 Aranya Farms, Shilaj, Ahmedabad 382 115, India
Merwyn Fernandes
TRAFFIC India Office, New Delhi 110 003, India
Trisha Gupta
Dakshin Foundation, #1818, 9th Cross, 5th Main Road, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru 560 092, India
Naveen Namboothri
Dakshin Foundation, #1818, 9th Cross, 5th Main Road, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru 560 092, India
Vardhan Patankar
Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Bengaluru 560 097, India
Swatipriyanka Sen
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Sijo P. Varghese
Fishery Survey of India, Cochin Base, Kochi 682 005, India
A. Biju Kumar
Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581, India
Alissa Barnes
Dakshin Foundation, #1818, 9th Cross, 5th Main Road, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru 560 092, India
K. K. Bineesh
Zoological Survey of India, Chennai 600 028, India
Sajan John
Wildlife Trust of India, Delhi 201 301, India
Mayuresh Gangal
Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru 570 017, India
M. Hashim
Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi 682 508, India
Vinod Malayilethu
WWF-India, ‘Prasanthi’, Kadavanthra, Kochi 682 020, India
Zoya Tyabji
Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, 2nd Phase, Bengaluru 560 097, India
Malaika Vaz
Untamed Planet Films, Bengaluru 560 001, India
Sandhya Sukumaran
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
G. B. Purushottama
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Livi Wilson
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
V. Mahesh
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Rekha J. Nair
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
L. Remya
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
Shikha Rahangdale
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
P. P. Manojkumar
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
K. Sivakumar
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun 248 001, India
E. Vivekanandan
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
P. U. Zacharia
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India
A. Gopalakrishnan
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India

Abstract


Historically, India has been projected as one of the major elasmobranch fishing nations in the world. However, management and conservation efforts are not commensurate with this trend. Along with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, several generic conservation measures are in place at the regional/local level. But India is still a long way from meeting global conservation commitments. We present here the status of elasmobranch management and conservation in India, with the specific objective of identifying the gaps in the existing set-up. We also present recommendations based on a national consultative workshop held at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, in February 2020. We recommend the implementation of a National Plan of Action (NPOA-Sharks) and more inclusive governance and policymaking for elasmobranch conservation in India.

Keywords


Consultative Meeting, Elasmobranch, Fisheries, Management and Conservation, Regulations.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv124%2Fi3%2F292-303