Bangladesh Takes Major Step To Protect Threatened Sharks And Rays

Despite progress in management efforts in recent years for elasmobranchs (sharks and their relatives), many populations still face significant threats and continue to decline. Overfishing and fisheries bycatch is known as the major threat to threatened elasmobranchs worldwide and is a hot topic of conversation in Bangladesh. A small, country in South Asia, it has been found to offer ideal habitats for these animals with nearly a hundred species confirmed including sawfish, river sharks, manta rays, whale sharks, and more. However, this global hotspot was found to be a “significant contributor to shark and ray catches and trade in the Bay of Bengal region.” According to official Government statistics, up to two thousand tonnes of dried shark fins are exported from Bangladesh each year, earning over a million US dollars in tax revenue.

Meaning before we truly uncover the biodiversity found here, humans could wipe it out. Thankfully, the Government of Bangladesh has taken major steps to improve the protection of these threatened sharks and rays by updating the list of species and species groups under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. “This updated list prepared by the Forest Department in consultation with the Department of Fisheries and national and international experts, and with technical support from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), incorporates new information on sharks and rays in Bangladesh and builds on the country’s international, regional and constitutional commitment to protect threatened marine wildlife and their habitats,” says Conservator of Forests Mollah Rezaul Karim of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle.

The new amendments enforce the strict protection of eight genera and 23 shark and ray species, while allowing the sustainable exploitation, consumption, and trade of one genus and 29 species if their catch is found to be non-detrimental to wild populations. Chief Conservator of Forests Mr. Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury explains: “More than half of the 116 shark and ray species confirmed or suspected to occur in Bangladesh are threatened with extinction. This amendment empowers the Forest Department and other law enforcement agencies to be proactive in protecting some of the worlds most threatened marine wildlife while at the same time it provides a framework for the sustainable exploitation of non-threatened species for the benefit of local fishing communities.”

These aren’t the only actions that the Government of Bangladesh has taken, recently co-sponsoring proposals for improved trade regulations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). “The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the international trade of sharks and rays. The convention prohibits trade in three species of sawfish that still occur in Bangladesh,” said Mr. A.S.M Jahir Uddin Akon, Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of the Forest Department. “The convention also requires an official permit from the Forest Department to export 25 other shark and ray species that occur in Bangladesh. These permits can only be issued if there is strong evidence that their trade will not harm wild populations.” On top of that, two marine protected areas (MPAs) that protect priority habitat for threatened sharks and rays have been established and plans for adapting a spatial monitoring and reporting tool (SMART) to combat illegal fisheries are underway.

“This improved legislation is a critical step towards reducing the extinction risk of sharks and rays in the Bay of Bengal,” says Dr. Md. Sharif Uddin, Director (Marine) of the Department of Fisheries. “Enforcement of these regulations must go hand in hand with promoting the live release of protected species and improving our understanding of the ecological benefits of sustainable fisheries. If fishers, traders, and consumers understand that by protecting threatened sharks and rays, they are also safeguarding their livelihoods and food security, Bangladesh can turn the tide from the overexploitation to sustainable conservation management.”