Another Indus River dolphin entangled in fishing net rescued

Karachi

A joint team of the WWF-Pakistan and the Sindh Wildlife Department along with the local fishing community rescued an entangled dolphin from the Dadu Canal, according to a statement issued on Monday.

A rescue team, led by WWF-Pakistan project coordinator Imran Malik and Sindh Wildlife Department’s deputy conservator wildlife Taj Muhammad Sheikh, arrived at the site after receiving a report about of a male Indus river dolphin entangled in fishing net at the Dadu Canal.

According to the statement, the rescue team carefully cut the fishing net to rescue the dolphin, and transported it in a sound proof vehicle, keeping kept moist constantly, until its release in the Indus River at Sukkur Barrage upstream.

“This dolphin was spotted by a local fisherman earlier today who reported it to the Indus Dolphin Rescue Helpline setup by the WWF-Pakistan. This time, it was a four-feet-long male dolphin which weighed 16.5 kg. The team has successfully rescued four dolphins so far this year; the earlier three were rescued stranded in low canal waters originating from the Indus River,” said the statement.

“Intensive fishing in the core dolphin habitat is a major threat which increases the probability of dolphins becoming entangled in fishing nets, making it critical to continuously monitor the Indus River and adjacent canals.”

As per the statement, the WWF-Pakistan has initiated numerous programmes to support and protect the population of these dolphins in collaboration with partners.

“The organisation has rescued more than 120 dolphins since 1992. Community awareness and education has also helped substantially decrease stranding-induced dolphin mortalities in recent years.”  Commenting on the rescue of Indus river dolphin, WWF-Pakistan senior director programmes Rab Nawaz said that as part of its existing Indus river dolphin conservation initiative, undertaken with the financial support of the Sona Welfare Foundation, the WWF-Pakistan had established a dolphin monitoring network of representatives of the relevant departments and local communities to monitoring the Indus River and adjacent canals and tributaries.

“The team thus far has conducted over 110 monitoring and awareness raising surveys this year. The WWF-Pakistan has set up a 24-hour phone helpline, 071 561 5505, which has been instrumental to further strengthen the existing dolphin rescue program”, he added.

“The Indus river dolphin, Platanista gangetica minor, an endangered freshwater cetacean, is a WWF priority species. Pakistan is home to approximately 1,452 Indus river dolphins, distributed between Chashma and Kotri barrages.”

He added that the Indus river dolphin population was highly fragmented due to the construction of water regulatory barrages with the largest population concentrated between Guddu and Sukkur barrages, a legally protected area known as the Indus Dolphin Game Reserve.