Rare Risso's dolphin found dead on Clifton beach

Another fishnet has killed a rare dolphin breed, which the World Wide Fund (WWF- Pakistan's) expert identified as 'Risso', found on the city's shores, the WWF-Pakistan said on Tuesday.
It said that the dolphin 'seems' to have died from entanglement in a fishnet, identifying the carcass as Risso, which is a rare breed of the species. An unknown citizen posted the dead dolphin picture on one of the social media platforms last week, which the WWF-Pakistan said to have helped it trace carcass.
"Its stocky body and blunt head with no discernible beak makes it distinguishable from other dolphin and whale species reported in the Arabian Sea. This is the first time that a complete specimen of a male Risso's dolphin was found to be stranded at Clifton Beach," the WWF-Pakistan said that earlier, three incidences regarding skeletal remains and sighting of Risso's dolphins were reported in early 2000.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor (Marine Fisheries), WWF-Pakistan and President of Pakistan Whales and Dolphin Society, said that the dead dolphin is a rare find since Risso prefers to live in deeper waters while usually surfaces on the edge of continental shelves.
"The coastal squids and offshore species like purple back flying squids are main food of this dolphin, which are abundantly found along the coast of Pakistan," he pointed out that the current lockdown in Karachi has made it impossible for experts to obtain skeleton or tissue samples of the animal for genetic analysis.
It is reported that a total of 22 species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are found in Pakistani waters, which include three baleen whales, 18 toothed whales and dolphins, and a porpoise. The Arabian humpback whale with its restricted distribution in the Arabian Sea is estimated to have less than 100 specimens in marine waters of Pakistan, Oman, Iran, India and Yemen. According to experts, Risso's dolphin is known from temperate and tropical waters of the world's oceans and is seldom seen or reported from the Arabian Sea.
Dr Babar Khan, Director/Regional Head (Sindh and Balochistan), WWF-Pakistan said that the mortality of Risso's dolphin on Clifton Beach is an unfortunate event. This species like other cetaceans is mainly threatened by accidental mortality due to entanglement in fishnets.
As a result of WWF-Pakistan's efforts, most of fishermen, especially those engaged in tuna gillnetting in offshore waters, have shifted from surface gillnetting to subsurface operations substantially reducing the mortality of cetaceans in their fishing nets. According to Khan the annual mortality of dolphins has decreased from 12,000 dolphins in 2014 to merely 60 in 2019. This 99 per cent reduction in dolphin mortality indicates a positive impact of capacity building and awareness spreading of fishers about conservation of biodiversity, he added.