Title
Monitoring the mortality of freshwater cetaceans in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh: Progress, challenges, and potential
Author(s)
Mansur, R. W.; Alom, Z.; Smith, B. D.; Akhtar, F.; Sinha, R. K.; Ahmed, B.
Published
2014
Abstract
The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project established a mortality monitoring network among university students, Forest department staff, NGO partners, fishing communities and local tourism boat operators in the Sundarbans. From February 2007 to December 2013, 40 Ganges River dolphins (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and 12 Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) mortalities were documented from Sundarbans. Twenty-six Ganges River dolphin carcasses were examined and biological samples collected and the causes of death were identified as entanglement in fishing gears for 13 of them, and vessel collision for 2, direct killing by villagers for 2, with the cause of death unknown for the remaining individuals. Of the dolphins documented as entangled in fishing gear, 10 were in gill nets, 2 in long lines, and one in a set bag net. Five Ganges River dolphins were also released alive after entanglement by fisherman. A key challenge is to expand the mortality monitoring network to remote areas of the western Sundarbans and to quantify bycatch rates so that these can be incorporated into population viability analyses for both Ganges River and Irrawaddy dolphins.
Keywords
mortality monitoring; freshwater cetaceans; sundarbans; Ganges river dolphin; Irrawaddy dolphin

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PUB26933