Critically endangered bowhead guitarfish caught in Gwadar East Bay

A rare large bowhead guitarfish (Rhina ancylostomus) — locally known as “Koh Baradari” or “Bhuth-khair” — was caught on Sunday in Gwadar’s East Bay at a depth of 30 metres, WWF-Pakistan confirmed on Monday.

In a statement, the WWF-Pakistan said that this species is listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List and is included in Appendix II of CITES, prohibiting international trade due to the high risk of extinction.

Its global population has declined by over 80% in the past 45 years, mainly due to intense fishing pressure, and the species has nearly disappeared from commercial landings. The specimen caught measured 140cm and weighed more than 65kg, read the statement.

Bowhead guitarfish inhabit warm temperate and tropical inshore continental seas, generally not deeper than 400 metres, and are distributed across the Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Australia, and Pakistan.

Historically, they were landed year-round in Pakistan, with peaks from January to March and again in May and September, but catches have declined sharply over the past 15 years. Individuals can reach up to 3 metres in length, and females produce only 2–11 pups per litter, making the species highly vulnerable to overexploitation.

WWF-Pakistan said that it has been working with fishing communities since 2013 to encourage the safe release of entangled guitarfish.

Despite these efforts, enforcement remains a challenge, highlighting the urgent need to raise awareness among stakeholders to ensure the survival of this critically endangered elasmobranch, it added.