KARACHI:
Dolphins are loved all over the world for their playful behaviour. Sadly, this beautiful creature is facing a battle for its survival in Pakistan’s sea waters.
A recent study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) shows that a staggering number of dolphins are killed every year as bycatch, after being entrapped in tuna gillnets. The estimated annual mortality figure for dolphins is 12,000.
Unlike other species, dolphins have no commercial value. Experts believe that the fast disappearance of this top predator from marine waters would have a direct bearing on our fragile ecosystem.
Titled ‘An Assessment of Cetacean Mortality in the Tuna Fisheries of Pakistan’, the study was conducted by director WWF-P (Sindh region) Rab Nawaz and Mohammad Moazzam Khan, former director of the marine fisheries department and presently serving as the technical adviser on marine fisheries with WWF-P. It was funded by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre.
The year-long data was collected in 2012 through observers posted on four tuna gillnet vessels as well as daily monitoring of tuna gillnetters at the Karachi fish harbour, the main landing centre for tuna. The data was made available online in 2014.
According to the study, Pakistan is one of the few countries where gillnet is being used for catching different species of tuna. The report discovered yellowfin tuna as the main tuna species being reported in commercial catches.
“Although eight species of tuna are known from Pakistan, only six were found to be common at commercial landing during the study. The data collected from Karachi fish harbour revealed that yellowfin tuna was the most commonly occurring species contributing about 45pc in the total commercial landing.
