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The first-ever comprehensive survey of river dolphins has revealed a population estimate of 6,327 dolphins mainly in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus river basins.
The survey, conducted under Project Dolphin launched in 2020, gives the first-ever glimpse into the species’ status in India.
India is home to two species of freshwater dolphins — Ganges (Platanista gangetica) and Indus (Platanista minor), which serve as bio-indicators of healthy river ecosystems.
Both dolphins are classified as Endangered and listed as Schedule I species under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
The survey was done across 28 rivers across eight states of the country stretching over 8,507 km.
The majority of the dolphins — estimated to be 2,397 — were observed in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar (2,220) and West Bengal (815).
Assam recorded 635 dolphins during the survey, Jharkhand recorded 162 while Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh registered 95. Punjab recorded the lowest, with three dolphins.
The report stated that the dolphins act as an umbrella species and their conservation has direct impacts on their habitat and biodiversity.
The project aims to bring river and marine dolphins under its conservation programme and bring stakeholders together for science-based conservation of the species.
The report said little is known about their habitat preference, breeding habitat, and movement range and prey preference.
However, recent studies point out that the species prefer confluences, meanders and mid-channel islands.
The report stated that the number of Ganges river dolphins were estimated to be around 4,000-5,000 by the end of the 20th century, but dropped to about 1,800 individuals.
It added that since 1980, at least 500 known mortalities have been reported owing to bycatch and intentional killing. The report pointed out that the Indus River Dolphin in India, currently observed in the Beas river, is worryingly low in numbers and demands urgent conservation attention.