Kochi : May 10 2024

In a move to boost research and conservation of sharks and rays in the Arabian Sea, India will join hands with Oman for collaborative research works and capacity building in elasmobranch research. 

As part of this, marine experts from both countries will gather at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi to attend a joint workshop from May 13 to 22 for mutual knowledge-sharing on elasmobranch taxonomy, fisheries management, and conservation. 

“This workshop is a joint venture between the CMFRI and the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre, Directorate General of Fisheries Research of the Sultanate of Oman as part of a research linkage between India and Oman”,  said Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI. The workshop will lay the foundation for a collaborative future in marine research between the two countries and open avenues for regional management and conservation of iconic resources such as sharks and rays in the Arabian Sea, he said. 

“We hope that the collaboration will extend further to other important resources such as tunas, as well as other areas in marine fisheries research, including mariculture and biotechnology,” Dr Gopalakrishnan added. 

CMFRI is the national marine scientific authority for CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). For more than a decade, the institute has been running a research programme on sharks and rays in Indian waters, leading to developing policy advisories, conservation plans and species-specific database on several shark and ray species of the Indian EEZ.

During the workshop, participants from both countries will share their knowledge and experience on working with sharks and rays in their respective regions.  

The research team from Oman will be headed by Dr Khalfan Al Rashdi, Director of Aquaculture Center, Directorate General of Fisheries Research, Sultanate of Oman who is also the leader of the Rays Project of Oman. The Indian research team will be headed by Dr Shoba Joe Kizhakudan, Head, Finfish Fisheries Division and Principal Investigator of CMFRI’s national project on elasmobranch. She was invited by Oman in September 2023, to review the work being done on the Rays project of Oman and to offer technical advice for preparing necessary documents such as Non-Detrimental Findings (NDFs) for CITES-listed species and field identification guide for rays. 

The workshop is coordinated by the India-Shark & Ray Lab of the Finfish Fisheries Division of CMFRI. 

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