Over 100 dolphins and whales have died in the Sundarbans area in 12 years

The Dhaka Times Desk In the last 12 years, more than a hundred dolphins and shushuks have died in the Sundarbans area, which is known as the world's largest mangrove forest. According to this calculation, an average of 9 dolphins and porpoises are killed annually.

According to the Wildlife Conservation Society Bangladesh (WCS Bangladesh), about a third of these dolphins die after being entangled in fishermen's nets.

The latest incident happened on the night of July 31 in Bara Durgapur area of Rampal Upazila of Bagerhat. A dead Shushuk (endangered dolphin) floats in the Mongla river there. After recovering the body of the shushuk, which is about 8 feet long and weighs 3 maunds, the rescuers found a net stuck in its teeth. Forest department officials later confirmed that the dolphin died of suffocation after being caught in fishing nets.

According to the records of WCS Bangladesh, 108 dolphins and dolphins of three species have died in and around the Sundarbans from 2007 to 2019. Among which there were 80 shushuks, 24 Irrawaddy dolphins, 4 finless porpoises. They usually get caught in fishermen's current nets, behundi nets, hilsa fishing nets and barashi and die. Some also died due to the impact of the boat. Some have been murdered.

Divisional officer of Khulna Region, Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation of Forest Department. Madinul Ahsan told the media that in the last 6 years, 14 dolphins and shushuks have died in Sundarbans area due to being caught in fishermen's nets. An autopsy was conducted to find out the cause of death of the animal found on July 31.

Mofizur Rahman Chowdhury, Khulna Divisional Fisheries Specialist of the Forest Department, said, 'The fish that was recovered on July 31 has died stuck in the net. Killing of Gangetic dolphins is a punishable offense under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2012.'

It is known that common dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins are killed by fishing nets in the river. In the Sundarbans region and adjacent rivers, these two species of dolphins are often caught in the nets of fishermen and die.

According to the report titled 'Identifying Dolphin Hotspots in South Eastern Bangladesh', WCS Bangladesh researchers identified the presence of 225 dolphins in the relatively low salinity area of the Sundarbans in a survey conducted in 2001 in the coastal region. According to the results of a survey conducted from January to April 2018, the number of Shushuk in Sundarbans is 159. Moreover, in a 2006 survey, 451 Irrawaddy dolphins were identified in the Sundarbans area. In the survey conducted from January to April, the number of Irrawaddy in Sundarbans was 198.

About these dolphins, Wildlife Conservation Society Bangladesh Education and Livelihood Program Coordinator Nadeem Parvez said, 'According to the Wildlife (Nature and Conservation) Act 2012, all species of dolphins found in Bangladesh are protected animals. Hunting, killing, or eating or selling any part of them is a punishable offense by law. These dolphins help to keep the river and sea environment healthy. The decrease in their number means that the amount of fish also decreases. So if they disappear it will have a negative impact on our livelihood. So our people at all levels should try to protect them.
Source: Bangla Tribune