Status of sharks in India’s artisanal fisheries with a focus on shark conservation in India

Muktha, M and Kizhakudan, Shoba Joe and Akhilesh, K V and Surya, S and Dash, Swatipriyanka Sen and Najmudeen, T M and Rahangdale, Shikha and Purushottama, G B and Roul, Subal Kumar and Remya, L and Abdul Azeez, P and Vinothkumar, R and Wilson, Livi and Mahesh, V and Thomas, Sujitha and Nakhawa, A D and Varghese, Eldho and Jayasankar, J and Pandey, Sanjay and Mohammed Koya, K and George, Grinson (2025) Status of sharks in India’s artisanal fisheries with a focus on shark conservation in India. Other. Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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Abstract

India’s marine artisanal fisheries involve diverse fleets, fishing crafts (<24 m OAL), area of operation and species. Sharks are an economically important group in artisanal fisheries, as sharks are retained fully, traded and consumed in various forms, and are also part of local culture. Sharks are mainly landed as bycatch in the artisanal fisheries of the country, including the tuna fisheries as there is very limited and localized targeted fishing of the group. Though more than 80 species of sharks are reported in Indian fisheries, only a few species form regular component in the country’s artisanal fisheries. In this working paper, we highlight the status of sharks with a focus on the sharks which are presently the current priority for the WPEB of the IOTC. Of the shark species focused by the WPEB, this work highlights the fishery status including contribution to landings, major landing sites and size composition of the scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini, the silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis, two species of thresher sharks Alopias spp. and two species of the mako sharks Isurus spp. in India’s artisanal fisheries. We also highlight the conservation measures India has adopted to protect shark species and to ensure sustainability of threatened marine fauna, including NPOA Sharks and NDFs.

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