Pakistan announces first national action plan to conserve sharks

Pakistan announces first national action plan to conserve sharks. APP Published September 8, 2026 Updated September 8, 2026 06: 43pm.

Key points

• According to a 2021 assessment by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), shark landings in Pakistan fell by over 85 per cent in five decades.
• Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Tuesday confirmed the country's first national action plan for shark conservation.
• The plan is to be implemented in three phases, with an estimated $3.8 million to $5m in funding during its first five years.
• Chaudhry remarked preparation of the plan met Pakistan's responsibilities as a shark-fishing nation under international fisheries law.
• "Responsible management of marine resources must come first, " Chaudhry remarked, stressing the need for stronger safeguards for vulnerable shark species and those whose capture is prohibited.

In practice, the 10-year National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) will seek to restore declining shark populations, curb illegal finning and bycatch, protect critical marine habitats and promote sustainable fisheries in Pakistani waters through 2035.

Notably, the plan is to be implemented in three phases, with an estimated $3.8 million to $5m in funding during its first five years. Chaudhry remarked the plan would be overseen by a multi-stakeholder National Advisory Committee.

Notably, the minister remarked the plan sought to "strengthen fisheries management and enforcement while improving data collection and scientific research on shark populations".

Among the proposed measures are mandatory fins-naturally-attached policies, species-specific protections, shark sanctuaries, mangrove restoration and steps to reduce shark deaths as bycatch throughout fisheries.

While encouraging sustainable shark fisheries and greater international cooperation, including through Pakistan's participation in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the plan additionally seeks to improve the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities through targeted backing.

Chaudhry remarked the implementation would be assessed annually against performance indicators such as landing-site monitoring coverage, completion of stock assessments, apply of vessel monitoring systems and reductions in bycatch mortality. Formal reviews would be carried out every three years.

In practice, the plan covers all chondrichthyan species discovered in Pakistani waters, including sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras, with a particular focus on species targeted by fisheries or facing high levels of bycatch mortality.

"Although the primary emphasis is on sharks, the management frameworks, data collection systems and enforcement mechanisms established through the NPOA will also benefit other elasmobranch species, " the minister remarked.

He remarked the action plan was tailored to Pakistan's ecological, institutional and socio-economic conditions while remaining aligned with the Food and Agriculture Organisation's International Plan of Action for Sharks and other international best practices.

In practice, the FAO's international shark action plan encourages countries to develop national conservation and management intends, minimise waste and promote sustainable fishing practices, he went on.

According to a 2021 assessment by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), shark landings in Pakistan fell by over 85 per cent in five decades. It is more than the average decline in shark resources throughout the world. WWF-P had suggested a ban on the catch of endangered shark species and the import and export of shark fins at the time.

Taken together, the developments around pakistan announces first national action plan to conserve sharks point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.