Critically Endangered Fishes in India

Critically Endangered Fishes in India

The Pondicherry Shark (Carcharhinus Hemiodon) is a very rare and little-known species of fish. It is a seawater fish found inshore on continental and restricted shelves.

Distribution: Indian Ocean: India, from the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan and Sri Lanka(possibly), in dispersed localities spanning India to New Guinea. It has also been recorded near the Hooghly river.

Threats: Large and unregulated commercial fisheries in inshore localities and habitats, continuously growing market. Although market surveys have failed to record it, it is probably bycatch(if still extant). Its populations are considered to have been severely drained due to continued misuse.

The Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus) is a differently evolved shark surviving on fish. It is found in the muddy waters of the Ganga river and the Bay of Bengal. Its small eyes suggest that it has adapted to live in dirty water. It has been proven that it is primarily a fish-eater because of its slender teeth. The maximum length to which it can grow is 2.04 m. 

Distribution: 

It occurs in India and Pakistan(possibly). Its habitats are the Ganga river system and Hooghly river mouth.

Threats: 

Major fisheries are targeting sharks. The other possible threats are overfishing, increasing river use, pollution, and construction of dams and barrages. A few jaws of the species were found to have been traded in the international market during recent years.

The Knife-tooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis Cuspidata) has a huge nose. It has cutting-edge teeth and a shark-type body. It spends almost all of the energy close to the lower part of the sea almost up to 40 m. The length up to which it can develop is 2.8 m. It can resist an array of saltiness conditions. It is found in deltas and shallow beachfront waters.

Conveyance: 

Found for a huge scope in the western pieces of the Indo-Pacific zone (including the Red Sea).

Dangers: 

The significant danger to all sawfish are fisheries either by bycatch, designated, business or means. They have long tooth-studded saws, which makes them profoundly helpless. It incorporates crude fishing contraptions. Sawfish regularly wind up being exchanged due to the exceptionally high worth of their items when they are trapped in by getting. Their meat is top-notch, and balances and saws are significant worldwide exchange.

Large-tooth Sawfish (Pristis Microdon) are heavy-bodied sawfish. They have a short but massive saw. The maximum length up to which it can grow is 3 m. They can be seen seasonally and are caught along with the Green Sawfish and the Bull Sharks.

Distribution and habitat: 

The western part of the Indo-Pacific (East Africa to New Guinea, Philippines, and Vietnam to Australia). In India, it enters the Mahanadi river, up to 64 km inland. It is also very commonly found in the deltas of the Ganga and Brahmaputra.

Threats: 

It faces the same threat as that of the Knife-tooth Sawfish. The demand for sawfish in aquaria has increased. Significant habitat changes like siltation, construction of dams over rivers, pollution from industries, and mining operations.

Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish with the biological name Pristis Zijsron can grow up to 4.3m in length. Humans heavily deplete them. These species were frequently found in shallow water. It inhabits turbid bottoms and also enters deltas. Its presence has been recorded in inshore marine waters, and it goes down to depths(up to 40 m).

Distribution and habitat: 

The Indo-Pacific region includes Australia,  China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia. 

Threats: 

This species has been damaged intensively, both as a target species and as incidental bycatch in commercial, sport, or shark-control net fisheries, as well as for aquarium display. As a result, it has become severely exhausted in recent decades and now appears to have been eradicated from many parts of its range.