Search

Sawfishes are highly threatened globally, and current data on their conservation status in the Indian Ocean are limited. A baseline study conducted in 2011–2012 revealed that at least two species of sawfish were still present in Bangladeshi waters and highlighted several important steps that could be taken to prevent populations from further decline.Regular visits to landing sites in the south‐eastern coastal region of Bangladesh were conducted to collect data on sawfish landings. A telephone reporting system was developed amongst shark traders and fishers, to facilitate immediate reporting of sawfish landings.Between 15 October 2016 and 26 December 2017, landings of 25 sawfishes were documented, of which at least 17 were largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis. No evidence of narrow sawfish Anoxypristis cuspidata was observed, which may suggest that this species has become rare.These data were collected 5 years after the baseline study was conducted and after several years of broader efforts to highlight the precarious status of sawfish populations globally. The findings illustrate that largetooth sawfish continue to be landed and that none of the management or community engagement activities previously recommended, in order to reduce catch rates, have been implemented.This is an example of the research–practitioner divide, where published scientific research on a group of highly endangered elasmobranchs has not led to their protection. A strategy for communicating the findings of this study and the critical need for local conservation action for sawfishes to key national and local stakeholders is presented, alongside a suite of actions that can be feasibly implemented in the next 12 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade involving elasmobranch products in Bangladesh is a four-decade-long practice in large scale and there is little understanding of its impact on species composition, population, and subsequent conservation. Capacity for monitoring and identification is lacking in landing and shark processing centres. A rapid survey and collection of tissue samples were performed in three landings and nine shark processing centres between 2016 and 2017 in the south-eastern coastal region of Bangladesh. Sequencing for a 707-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was used to assess the taxonomic status and species composition from 71 elasmobranch tissue samples collected from the shark processing centre only. Good quality COI sequences were obtained for 34 specimens representing 21 species—the majority of which are threatened with extinction. A total of ten species of sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna, C. amboinensis, C. leucas, C. sorrah, C. amblyrhynchoides, Chiloscyllium burmensis, Galeocerdo cuvier, Rhincodon typus, Scoliodon laticaudus, and Sphyrna lewini), eleven species of rays (Aetomylaeus maculatus, Gymnura poecilura, Mobula mobular, M. kuhlii, Neotrygon indica, Pateobatis uarnacoides, Rhinoptera javanica, and R. jayakari), including three species of guitarfish (Glaucostegus granulatus, G. obtusus, and G. typus), were identified. Four species (14.7% of samples) were found to be listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Appendix II. Sixteen species (59% of the specimens) were threatened with extinction according to IUCN Red List, whereas 41% were data deficient or not assessed. The results have important implications for the management of regional fisheries and the conservation of elasmobranchs as they 1) represent a preliminary understanding of elasmobranch diversity in trade; 2) depict a lack of awareness and monitoring; and 3) demonstrate a need for urgent monitoring and regulation of elasmobranch trade in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the species diversity and strengthen the taxonomic identification of elasmobranchs in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, a study was conducted in the southeast coastal region between January 2016 and March 2018. Using morphological and genetic identification techniques, this study presents 22 species from the region. Thirteen of these are new records. The new records consist of eight species from the family Dasyatidae, and one each from Mobulidae, Rhinobatidae, Narcinidae, Hemiscylliidae and Triakidae. Furthermore, four occurrences are first verified reports, and five are potential new records requiring further taxonomic investigation.