KARACHI: A specimen of a rare marine leatherback turtle was found dead in Miani Hor lagoon near Sonmiani, Lasbela district, Balochistan on Thursday.
A fisherman and member of the Coastal Association for Research and Development-Balochistan (CARD-Balochistan), Muhammad Ilyas saw the carcass of a turtle and photographed it.
According to Technical Advisor at WWF-Pakistan Muhammad Moazzam Khan, the scars on the carapace indicate that the turtle died due to a boat strike. According to him, the leatherback turtle is among the rarest of marine turtles in Pakistan and recent studies reveal that this species is declining precipitously throughout its distribution range, including Pakistan.
Globally, they are considered vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Previously, there were six authentic reports of its confirmed occurrence in Pakistani waters. Two dead leatherback turtles were reported by the Sindh Wildlife Department in the 1980s from the coast of Karachi whereas one dead turtle was reported from Gwadar (West Bay) in 2012.
It is believed that leatherback turtles are highly migratory and make really long migrations across the oceans which make them prone to be hit by boats/ships. However, they also dwell in deeper waters which make them vulnerable to be caught in pelagic fisheries as well as demersal and benthic trawling, he added.
Anward Mundra, Member Board of Directors of CARD-Balochistan pointed out that fishermen consider marine turtles sacred animals and do not catch or disturb them. ‘They try to avoid fishing in the area known for turtle feeding or nesting,’ he added. While, Abdul Qayyum, Chairman CARD-Balochistan pointed out that the coastal community living around Maini Hor is conservationist by nature and it is possibly the only area where natural resources are co-managed by the community with support of the government. He further pointed out that the Maini Hor community has imposed a strict ban on mangrove cutting as well as use of harmful fishing gear. It is the only area of Pakistan where use of Bhulla net (Estuarine Set Bag Net) is completely banned. This devastating net plays havoc with fish larvae and juveniles in the creeks of Sindh. Qayyum lauded the role of WWF-Pakistan in creating awareness about the sustainable management of natural resources in Miani Hor.
Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes, WWF-Pakistan stressed the need for all stakeholders including fishermen, Wildlife Departments and NGOs to take necessary steps for the protection of turtles. He pointed out that nesting beaches need to be monitored and patrolled in order to control disturbances and feeding by scavengers including feral dogs. He added that the global population of this species was estimated to be 115,000 adult females in 1982. By 1996 it had reduced to about 30-40,000. Leatherback populations in the Indian Ocean have undergone dramatic decline in the past 40 years.