KARACHI – Rare Risso Dolphin Washed Up On Karachi Shores. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF Pakistan) has said that a fishnet has killed a rare dolphin breed Risso. The animal was wash on the city’s shores on Tuesday.
According to details, the dolphin died from entanglement in a fishnet. WWF identified the carcass as Risso, which is a rare breed of the species. An unknown citizen posted the dead dolphin picture on one of the social media platforms last week. The WWF-Pakistan helped it trace carcass.
Its stocky body and blunt head with no discernible beak makes it distinguishable from other dolphins in the Arabian Sea. This is the first time that a complete specimen of a male Risso’s dolphin has wash up at Clifton Beach. WWF-Pakistan said that earlier, three sighting of Risso’s dolphins were in early 2000.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan is the Technical Advisor (Marine Fisheries), WWF-Pakistan and President of Pakistan Whales and Dolphin Society. He said that the dead dolphin is a rare find since Risso prefers to live in deeper waters while usually surfaces on the edge of continental shelves.
Rare Risso Dolphin Washed Up On Karachi Shores.
Dr Babar Khan, Director/Regional Head (Sindh and Balochistan), WWF-Pakistan said that the mortality of Risso’s dolphin on Clifton Beach is an unfortunate event. This species like other cetaceans is mainly threatened by accidental mortality due to entanglement in fishnets.
As a result of WWF-Pakistan’s efforts, most of fishermen, especially those engaged in tuna gillnetting in offshore waters, have shifted from surface gillnetting to subsurface operations substantially reducing the mortality of cetaceans in their fishing nets.