By Dr Nandkumar Kamat
Are Goans prepared to give up their favourite- “mori xacuti” (shark masala) and “mori ambot tik” (sour and pungent shark recipe)? It is possible if they have already given up ‘jumping chicken’ - fried frog legs - and turtle eggs omelettes. Considering their growing consumption, saving sharks is more important than saving frogs and turtles.

The Government of India through Gazette Notification of July 11, 2001 had prohibited fishing of all Elasmobranches, which include shark and rays. Despite the ban under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, several species of sharks have started appearing in local fish market in large numbers. These may include imports from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Everyday, hundreds of sharks, including baby sharks, are sold in the Panaji fish market. Thousands get sold at the Vasco and Margao fish markets. The forest department has admitted in the current assembly session that fishing and selling sharks is banned in Goa, but, interestingly, it is still awaiting the green signal from the state fisheries department.
The Forest Department does not raid the fish markets because it is waiting for someone from the public to lodge a complaint. But if the public itself does not know that the sale of sharks is banned, why will they lodge a complaint? Therefore, the Forest Department needs to first issue a public notice and begin raiding fish markets.
The Fisheries Department needs to direct the non-mechanised and motorised fishing vessels to release sharks back into the sea. Authorities at check posts and railway stations in Goa should not permit import of sharks from other states. There should be no compromise on this even under political or union pressure because research has proven and international organizations like FAO and IUCN have warned against uncontrolled shark fisheries.
If a top predator like the shark is removed from Arabian Sea then the marine food chain may collapse. That would mean an end to fishing in the Arabian Sea, which is already in trouble thanks to marine pollution and slow acidification. I stopped eating mori ambot tik in 2007 after reading a paper by Dr Xivanand Verlecar, biologist, NIO, on ‘Current Science’. The paper was co authored with Snigdha, S R Dessai and V K Dhargalkar. Titled ‘Shark hunting – an indiscriminate trade endangering elasmobranchs to extinction’ (VOL. 92, NO. 8, 25 APRIL 2007) the paper has everything people and politicians who love mori ambot tikh need to know. The paper concludes: “The role of sharks in maintaining the ecological balance of the ocean is important. As top predators and scavengers, they serve an essential role in keeping our waters clean. Sharks, like whales and dolphins, must be recognised as important indicators of the health of the ocean. It is a matter of great concern that the elasmobranchs are on the decline due to over fishing and pollution. The only realistic way to save these creatures is to impose a worldwide moratorium on shark-fin trade and enforce it with penalties that serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous fishing companies. At an individual level we could take the following precautions: Never have shark-fin soup and refuse to patronise restaurants that serve this. Avoid medicines or supplements that profess to utilise the healing power of shark cartilage or any other part of a shark. Do not buy shark teeth (unless fossilised), shark jaws, or any items made with shark skin. In this way we may ensure that we are not part of the problem and thereby save these important creatures from extinction.”
The Fisheries Survey of India had reported 21 species of fishes under elasmobranchii. Locally these are known as mori, sunare, vimsi, phadke, shokk and waghole. At least 12 species of sharks are hunted in the seas off Goa. The hammerhead shark - Sphyrna lewini - is often sold local fish markets. India accounts for 16 percent of the global shark catch. It is heart-rending to see sharks dumped after removing their fins. Shark fins are highly prized in the global market. People are ready to shell out any amount for the shark fin soup. Shark fins fetch high prices, up to Rs 35000 per kg. A bowl of soup may cost Rs 12000. That explained the stiff opposition to ban on shark hunting from Tamil Nadu where the fishermen hunt sharks in large numbers.
According to Devadoss (1998): “About 68 per cent of the sharks landed are along the west coast. Scoliodon laticaudus is the dominant species in the catch (83.3 per cent) along the Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts followed by Carcharhinus spp (13 per cent), Rhizoprionodon spp (2 per cent) and the tiger shark along with other minor groups constitute the rest of the catch. On the southwest coast (Kerala, Karnataka and Goa) the grey shark (Carcharhinus spp) form 56.1 per cent of the major catch followed by the hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini, S mokarran) - 26.5 per cent, S laticaudus – 3 per cent and other Carcharhinus shark and hammerhead sharks form 14.4 per cent.”
A paper commissioned by FAO mentions: “There is no explicit management of Indian shark fisheries. The only management measure, banning fishing by mechanised trawlers during the southwest monsoon period has only limited application to shark fishing as sharks are landed mostly by non-mechanised and motorised vessels using gillnets and hook and line gear. Moreover, only small sharks such as Scoliodon are taken as by-catch by trawlers. Commenting on the management policies, FAO has recommended consideration of the effect of the fishery regulation for the shark fishery on the fishery of other resources. Since the trawlers land small sharks and juveniles of the large sharks in large amounts, the regulatory measures for the static or passive gears, which exploit sharks exclusively, may not be suitable for trawlers. Some researchers have suggested that some of the smaller sharks, eg S laticaudus and R acutus are over fished (owing to their low fecundity) by trawlers and gill-netters but are able to withstand the fishing pressure because of their faster growth rates. However, the larger sharks such as those belonging to the genus Carcharhinus are oceanic in distribution.”
The reports from international and national experts make a very strong case for enforcing the ban on catching and selling of Elasmobranchii species in Goa. But unfortunately sharks and rays do not have the same constituency as tigers, panthers, frogs and turtles to be protected. It is not the annual catch and quantity which should matter but the vanishing and threatened biodiversity of the marine species. Already Goa has far fewer species of fish in local market as compared to the 70s and 80s. Shark hunting would lead to extinction of Goa’s mackerel and sardine fisheries.