Dolphins in doldruns

RIVER dolphins - often the targets of
attack from fishermen who kill them for
the oil in their fat - have finally come
in for attention from the Asian River
Dolphin Committee, the international
working group on the docile creature.
The Committee has recommended that
appropriate changes be made in the
Indian Fisheries Act to enable the dolphin population to stabilise.

One of the main threats to the dolphins arises from predatory fishermen
who trap them accidentally in their nets
along with other species. The
Committee has suggested a controlled
use of fishing gear and techniques.
"Every year about 50 dolphins are killed
in the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. This
is an alarming mortality rate for a population of about 2,000", says Dr R S Lal
Mohan from the Conservation of Nature Trust in Calicut, Kerala.

Asian river dolphins have a life span
of 33 years, but breed only once in 2
years. A total of 9 to 10 calves are born
in a dolphin's lifetime. Continued
attacks have endangered their meagre
numbers. Being at the apex of a river's
food chain, the dolphin's survival
and well-being reflects the health of
the river's eco-system.