Team Herald
PANJIM: The WWF-India and Sony India joined hands to study and conserve the Guitarfish population along Goa's coastline and conducted an awareness programme among fishermen in Carazalem to protect the critically endangered species.
During the last 18 months, WWF-India found 77 guitarfish individuals including the world's largest 104-cm-long female Widenose guitarfish species at Caranzalem. Earlier, 93-cm-long guitarfish was found in the Pacific region.
Speaking to reporters at Siridao on Sunday, Aditya Kakodkar, senior coordinator, Marine Conservation, WWF India's Goa office, said that the objective of this programme was to sensitise the fishing community about the importance of Guitarfish in the marine ecosystem and the need to conserve it.
Guitarfish, which are closely related to sharks and rays, are known to be found along the coast of Goa but little is known about their distribution and ecology. Guitarfish are important components of coastal socio-ecological systems. Seven species have been believed to be present in Goa’s coastal waters and so far three species Sharpnose guitarfish, Widenose guitarfish and Stripenose guitarfish have been found in Goa, Kakodkar said.
According to Kakodkar, there is also a concern that most of these species are either threatened due to habitat loss or are nearing extinction due to unintentional catch or bycatch. Guitarfish are economically unimportant to the fishers, though they have been source of occasional nutrition to them.
WWF-India and Sony India are working together to study and conserve the guitarfish population along Goa's coastline. The project focuses on the interaction of the guitarfish with artisanal fishing gear. This includes traditional shore seine (Rampon) and gill nets deployed by fishers using small vessels with outboard motors.
Speaking about the initiative, Puneet Rampal, Head of Human Resources and CSR at Sony India, said, “We are glad to have partnered with WWF India as this initiative has provided us with a chance to contribute towards helping conserve endangered marine life, like the Guitarfish and making our best effort to save them from going extinct. While we bring the best-in-technology to the market, our aim is to make a positive difference in the lives and survival of these species and the community at large.”
The WWF-Goa office on Sunday conducted the third session of the fishermen awareness programme, to educate fishermen about protecting Guitarfish, a critically endangered species. Around 30 artisanal/traditional fishers of the Siridao Traditional Fishermen Association attended the session.
The fishers were made aware of the ecology and morphology of guitarfish and how they can support improving the near-shore habitat of the guitarfish by managing discarded nets and other fishing gear. They also learnt about small efforts which would make a large impact on guitarfish conservation, like release of live individuals caught in their nets as bycatch. In the long term, the plan is to inculcate the idea of community-based coastal habitat conservation with the involvement of the fishing community.
The three-year programme kick-started in April 2021, with three objectives - to map the habitat and distribution of guitarfish along the coast of Goa, improve knowledge and raise awareness about their conservation amongst the fishermen communities, thereby reducing the threats due to fisheries.