By Dr. Raju Kasambe
A spontaneous visit to observe fish diversity in Mumbai’s fish markets took a macabre turn when I saw a cart full of fish being wheeled out from the Sassoon Dock Market. I captured some images on my phone out of curiosity, as the species seemed familiar. Later, on zooming in, I realised that one crate was loaded with scalloped hammerheads Sphyrna lewini or hammerhead sharks. A quick Internet search revealed that the species was notified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This obviously wasn’t a one-off incident and the species was a regular in the fish market!
This led to several targeted visits to fish landing jetties and markets as Hornbill House, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) headquarters where I was posted, is close to one such landing! I captured the findings on my camera and as I got better at identifying the different fish, I saw more shark species being sold in ones or twos, such as the common black-tip shark Carcharhinus limbatus (Vulnerable), spot-tail shark Carcharhinus sorrah (Near Threatened) and the milk shark Rhizoprionodon acutus (Vulnerable). I think the biggest heart-wrencher for me was finding the Arabian carpet shark Chiloscyllium arabicum, a Near Threatened species in large heaps at the fish landing jetty – they were likely bycatch, which would become fish meal!
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The author found crates loaded with scalloped hammerheads Sphyrna lewini in Mumbai’s Sassoon Docks, and discovered that the species is notified as Critically Endangered. Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe.
The spadenose shark Scoliodon laticaudus, locally called mori, also seemed abundant in the markets, and seemed to be a favourite among piscivores, who vouched for its flavour. This species, though listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, can be seen even in smaller fish shops in every corner of Mumbai! I even remember it from my college days, when I dissected this fish to study the structure of the internal ear.
I also saw flat and mostly round rays such as whiprays, butterfly rays and eagle rays (all ‘stingrays’ for me) in the market. These were an attractive lot and easy to identify as a group. It was a revelation to me that there were multiple species in this group, and they each looked different too! The Vulnerable white-spotted eagle ray Aetobatus ocellatus had a protruding snout, the wing-shaped fins giving it an eagle-like look. On one of my market visits, I saw a huge ray on the ground, more than half a metre in length and width. Scientists helped me identify it as a Bleeker’s whipray Pateobatis bleekeri, an Endangered species. Later, I also found a similar-sized specimen of the white-spotted whipray. I was in for another surprise when four rays in one photograph were identified as short-tail whiprays Maculabatis bineeshi, which had been described as a new species as recently as 2016.
One morning, I estimated more than 1,000 stingrays at the Bhau Cha Dhakka (aka Ferry Wharf) fish landing jetty in Mumbai! Simple back-of-the-envelope calculations of how many might be killed in a month or a year exposed the level of over-exploitation we are indulging in. And this is from just one fish landing jetty. There are hundreds of such jetties in India.
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A huge catch of Arabian dwarf whiprays Brevitrygon walga. While all government agencies and marine biologists are cognizant about the fishing of endangered sharks and rays, a serious ground-level initiative toward actual conservation of these threatened marine creatures is lacking. Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe.
The Critically Endangered smoothnose wedgefish Rhynchobatus laevis, which resembles the more familiar guitarfish, along with the bowmouth guitarfish Rhina ancylostomus (CR) and granulated guitarfish Glaucostegus granulatus (CR) are sold in the markets openly. The rows of white spots on the dorsal side, and a dark spot above the pectoral fin with a circle of smaller white spots gives the smoothnose wedgefish the look of a decorated bride. I have never quite gotten used to the fact that beautiful and endangered species such as the spinetail devil ray, also known as the devil fish Mobula mobular, were being captured and slaughtered for the sake of their gill rakers, used to filter seawater to get to plankton, for use in traditional medicines, while the rest of the remains were sold for meat. Another ray species, the variable electric ray or gulf torpedo, known for its ability to produce electric currents, is seen regularly as bycatch and considered inedible here. Some of these have cream-coloured brain-shaped figures or rosettes, like the ones leopards have, over the disc and tail. The IUCN has listed it as a Data Deficient species.
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The author holds up scalloped hammerheads, also known as hammerhead sharks. Photo: Asif Khan.
A disturbing analogy came to mind. I imagined tigers and leopards being sold openly in meat markets for consumption. That would be unacceptable. However, in the case of sharks and rays, equally threatened, the Forest Department (or any other department responsible) is not even talking about it! Sharks are predatory fish and are apex species – I consider them to be the tigers of our oceans. They are not only declining in population but have also been recognised as threatened across various IUCN Red List categories. Much research has been undertaken, and papers published by marine biologists and staff of various agencies and ministries. The research ranges from fishing gear, fishing methods, trawlers, annual yields, species diversity, new species discovery, livelihoods of fishing communities, fisheries education and so on. So, the government’s Fisheries Department is cognizant about the situation, as are marine biologists. But little to no action is being undertaken to stem the problem of these threatened earthlings being casually served on our plates! Will human hunger and greed send these beautiful sea creatures over the edge of extinction, faster than the tiger, or the Great Indian Bustard, because of a lack of education and understanding of the impact of their choice to consume seafood on marine ecosystems, ocean health and the future of our planet? If people knew, would they reduce their demands?
The Forest Department is responsible for conservation of wild flora and fauna on the mainland. But for research and conservation of marine fish (or fisheries, which is the exploitative term) or other marine flora and fauna, there are multiple government agencies and ministries (or public funded organisations), which are supposed to be responsible. These include the Fisheries Department, Fisheries Survey of India, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH), Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), and a few more bodies besides non-government organisations and private entities.
A Bleeker’s whipray Pateobatis bleekeri at the docks. This Endangered species of stingray is found in shallow coastal waters of the Indian Ocean. Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe.
The result of this multiplicity is that no one department really assumes or has the entire responsibility of conservation of marine flora and fauna in general, and these sharks and rays in particular (sharks and rays are groups of fish belonging to a subclass of cartilaginous fish known as elasmobranchs, which also includes skates and sawfish). All these public-funded ministries and agencies have facts and figures about the decline of elasmobranchs, they are aware of the problems and the solutions (conservation measures), regulations or laws and the global commitments; everything that needs to be done to save these threatened species is in place, including the manpower! But they each have their own mandates and paperwork to do, or concentrate more on how to increase fish production, rather than how to save threatened species.
The only thing missing, the most important one, is a serious ground-level initiative toward actual conservation of these threatened marine creatures, while everyone continues operating in a business-as-usual situation expecting this to happen magically. One constant excuse is that conservation would impact livelihoods of fisherfolk and bring the wrath of the fishing community. However, if these are bycatch species, how can these affect the livelihood? Isn’t the main catch (targeted fishing) the real livelihood? And the irony is no fisherman seemed to be aware that many of these fish species are threatened or protected under our laws, suggesting an urgent need to create awareness in the fishing community!
There are success stories of saving the whale shark Rhincodon typus, listed as Endangered by IUCN, in Gujarat, primarily because of the film Shores of Silence: Whale Sharks in India, a landmark film by Mike Pandey. Subsequently, the efforts undertaken by the Wildlife Trust of India kicked in. The project to save the species in Saurashtra and Gujarat managed to transform fishermen, who once slaughtered whale sharks by the thousands, into proud protectors of the fish!
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This bowmouth guitarfish Rhina ancylostomus and other Critically Endangered species are openly sold in Indian markets. Most fishermen are not aware that many of these species are endangered or protected under our laws, suggesting an urgent need to create awareness among the fishing community! Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe.
It is notable that India is one of the major fishing nations of sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) in the world. Though we have conservation laws such as the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 (WLPA 2022), and some local measures, these Acts are used only for conservation of terrestrial biodiversity. We are also far from meeting global conservation commitments. Most funding or research grants (which are meagre to begin with) are allocated for terrestrial biodiversity.
It sometimes feels like there isn’t a single ray of hope for sharks and rays, and they are doomed to extinction. If we do not wake up to the realisation that protecting biodiversity is critical to any hope we have of reigning in the climate crisis, we will have to contend with the fact that apart from all other causes, one very critical reason is the fact that we are literally eating sharks and several other species to extinction!
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Clinton Duffy, a marine scientist working for the New Zealand Department of Conservation in Auckland, New Zealand, for help in identifying the elasmobranchs.
Dr. Raju Kasambe Dr. Kasambe is the former Assistant Director – Conservation at the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. His interests include birds, butterflies, and environmental education!
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