Daily Times

A team of Karachi fishermen led by captain Ameer Badshah safely released a 2-metre long Pan-tropical spotted dolphin into the sea after finding it in their fishing net.

The fishermen found the cetacean while operating in the Indus Canyon about 176 km southeast of Karachi. WWF in a statement appreciated efforts of the fishermen and emphasised the need for joint steps to conserve dolphins, whales, turtles and other such species in the Pakistani waters.

Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) locally known as ‘Tushuk’ in Balochi and ‘Gokin’ in Sindhi is considered to be very active in making large, splashy leaps from the sea.

Although, this dolphin is a least-concern specie as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species but its population is decreasing in Pakistan due to commercial fishing, vessel traffic, pollution, development activities and use of harmful nets.