Occurrence of whales and dolphins in Pakistan with reference to fishers’ knowledge and impacts

Gore, Mauvis A.; Kiani, Muhammad Shoaib; Ahmad, Ejaz; Hussain, Babar; Ormond, Rupert; Siddiqui, J.; Waqas, Umer; Culloch, Ross M.

doi:10.47536/jcrm.v12i2.581

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…In neighbouring India, Jayasankar et al (2008) identified five of the six species of marine cetaceans (Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, spinner dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, long-beaked common dolphins and Indo-Pacific finless porpoise) using molecular identification techniques. By contrast, using boat-based surveys, Gore et al (2012) found that spinner dolphins (which were typically found offshore along the Balochistan coast) and Indian Ocean humpback dolphins and Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (most frequently found near-shore along the Sindh coast) were the more abundant species. This highlights that beach surveys are an important and effective method for determining species presence/absence and certain life history information such as sex and age of stranded animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…DNA analysis showed that four of 24 samples that yielded DNA were misidentified in the field (Table 1), which could be attributed to progressive training and/or the fact that these carcasses were heavily degraded. There were three species confirmed using DNA that had not been observed during the boat-based surveys by Gore et al (2012). These were pantropical spotted dolphin, long-beaked common dolphin and Bryde's whale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The identification of Tursiops species was of particular interest as two species are found in the Indian Ocean, T. truncatus and T. aduncus (Hale et al, 2000). From qualitative observations during boat-based surveys (Gore et al, 2012) it was noted that bottlenose dolphins were relatively large and that there were no other obvious morphometric differences between individuals seen inshore and offshore. Nevertheless, in the present study it was not possible to distinguish between these species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Until recently, the only information available on cetaceans in Pakistani waters was a preliminary list of species based on a wide variety of ad hoc reports, reviewed in Gore et al (2012). They confirmed occurrences, by boat-based surveys, of 12 species of cetacean, among which the most commonly observed were: spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris); Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea); Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides phocaenoides) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and to provide an estimate of age for odontocetes by analysing teeth. The results are compared with those from boat-based surveys that occurred during the same period (Gore et al, 2012). Pakistan's territorial seas are included within the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary 8 and the findings of this work are intended to help with the assessment of the conservation status and management requirements of the region's cetaceans.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of beach-cast cetaceans in Pakistan: implications for conservation and management

Gore¹,

Culloch²,

Gray³

et al. 2023

JCRM

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Until recently, little was known about the distribution and species occurrence of marine cetaceans in Pakistani waters, an area which needed to be addressed exigently given its inclusion in the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Boat-based surveys (2005–09) carried out along the coast of Pakistan identified 12 species of cetaceans. Although these surveys can be very useful for providing information on species presence and distribution, estimates of the age and sex of these groups can be more uncertain. Consequently, this present study undertook complementary beach-based surveys over the same period across all accessible regions of the Pakistani coast and created a community reporting scheme for stranded and beach-cast remains of cetaceans. Tissue samples and/or skeletal material were collected over three years from 37 individual specimens, with DNA successfully extracted from 24. Using molecular techniques, a total of seven species were identified and there was an indication that the majority of the samples were from males. An analysis of teeth collected from 12 beach-cast odontocetes showed an age range between neonatal and 17 years. The results of this study corroborate the presence of species observed during the boat-based surveys and identified a further three species. The data also provide additional information on age and sex. A comparison with similar studies suggests that the stranding rate is low in Pakistan. No mass strandings occurred during the seven year monitoring period. The results indicate that beach-based surveys are effective for gathering data on species presence in regions where resources are limited, the terrain is harsh and availability of data is low. Ultimately, the results of this work will help with assessing the conservation status and management requirements of the region’s cetaceans, both locally and internationally with respect to the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of beach-cast cetaceans in Pakistan: implications for conservation and management

Gore¹,

Culloch²,

Gray³

et al. 2023

JCRM

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Using fishers’ ecological knowledge to assess the status and cultural importance of sawfish in Guinea‐Bissau

Leeney

Poncelet²

2013

Aquatic Conservation

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Sawfishes have declined dramatically in West Africa and may be extinct throughout much of their historical range. Guinea‐Bissau is considered to be one of the last remaining places in West Africa where sawfish persist. Fishers’ ecological knowledge (FEK) can provide valuable baseline data, which can be used to direct scientific studies, in situations where information is scarce or lacking and can also provide insight into local attitudes towards species of interest. Interview surveys were used to collect FEK data on the past and current range of sawfishes within Guinea‐Bissau waters, perceived causes of the decline amongst fishermen, and the cultural importance of this species to Bissau‐Guineans. Data were collected from 274 respondents, of whom 85% could identify a sawfish from an image. The majority of respondents reported to have last seen a sawfish in the 1980s, although this varied considerably by region, and 30% of respondents in the south had seen or captured sawfishes in the past decade up to and including 2012. Overfishing or excessive fishing pressure was most frequently cited as a perceived cause for the decline in sawfish, followed by shark finning and overseas fishermen. The sawfish is primarily of cultural importance in the Bijagos Islands, where it is central to many traditional ceremonies. This information provides valuable insight into the cultural importance of sawfish to Bissau‐Guineans and their concerns in relation to the sustainability of their local fishery resources. Information on recent catches will be useful for directing future work to locate and protect remaining sawfish in Guinea‐Bissau. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Setting the net lower: A potential low‐cost mitigation method to reduce cetacean bycatch in drift gillnet fisheries

Kiszka

Moazzam²,

Boussarie

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Bycatch is the most significant threat to marine megafauna (sea turtles, marine mammals, elasmobranchs, seabirds) worldwide, and the leading cause of the decline of several cetacean species. The bycatch issue in the Indian Ocean is poorly understood, but high bycatch levels in gillnet fisheries have been documented for the past two decades, in both small-scale and semi-industrial fisheries. Unfortunately, methods to reduce bycatch are often unavailable, financially non-viable or socially unacceptable to fishermen. Using a network of trained boat captains in the tuna drift gillnet fishery in theArabian Sea, targeted catch and bycatch data were collected from 2013 to 2017 off the coast of Pakistan (northern Indian Ocean). Two fishing methods using multifilament gillnets were used: surface deployment and subsurface deployment (i.e. headline of net set below 2 m depth).3. Predicted catch rates for targeted species did not differ significantly between the two fishing practices, although a drop in tuna (6.2%) and tuna-like (10.9%) species captures was recorded in subsurface sets. The probability of cetacean bycatch, however, was 78.5% lower in subsurface than in surface sets. 4. Cetacean bycatch in tuna drift gillnet fisheries has the potential to be significantly reduced at a relatively low cost for fishers. However, further research with an appropriate sampling design and a large sample size is required to confirm the efficacy of the proposed mitigation method. The acceptability and adoption of subsurface setting by fishers also needs to be further investigated. Despite some limitations, this preliminary study also highlights the importance of crew-based observer data as an alternative source of data when observers cannot be deployed on fishing vessels.

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Occurrence of whales and dolphins in Pakistan with reference to fishers’ knowledge and impacts

Cited by 13 publications

References 33 publications

Assessment of beach-cast cetaceans in Pakistan: implications for conservation and management

Assessment of beach-cast cetaceans in Pakistan: implications for conservation and management

Using fishers’ ecological knowledge to assess the status and cultural importance of sawfish in Guinea‐Bissau

Setting the net lower: A potential low‐cost mitigation method to reduce cetacean bycatch in drift gillnet fisheries

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