According to the BBC, conservationists are increasingly concerned over the future for the Bangladesh river dolphins since they are now threatened not only by pollution, over-fishing, accidental deaths caused by fishing nets, and shortage of prey, and but also by declining freshwater supplies. The situation is especially serious for the Ganges River dolphin and the Irrawadday dolphin. These two freshwater dolphins are both living in the south-western region of Bangladesh, and a majority of the specimens can be found in the famous Sunderbans mangrove forest. The Ganges river dolphin prefers mangrove channels that receive plenty of freshwater while the Irrawadday dolphins live further downstream where the water in the mangrove channels are of higher salinity.
According to dolphin expert Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur, water extraction upstream in India and sea-level rises have cause the salinity of the river dolphin habitat to change. These changes in salinity might not only be a problem to the dolphins, over 30,000 Bangladesh fishermen relay on the aquatic life of the Sunderbans mangrove forest for their daily livelihood.
The Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project (BCDP) and the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have now suggested that a protected area for dolphins consisting of three priority sites should be created in the Sunderbans mangrove forest. This will not affect the salinity of the water, but it will at least provide some refuge for the dolphins while the try to combat all the other problems.
Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur also wishes to work together with local fishermen to save the dolphins. Her idea is to get the fishermen to safely release dolphins from the nets and collect samples and basic information from dead specimens. In exchange, the fishermen will be provided with comparatively inexpensive GPS-systems and depth sounders which allows for safer navigation during bad weather.
You can read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7192200.stm
Fishermen in Bangladesh beat a rare Ganger River dolphin to death because they had not seen “this kind of creature before”, CNN reports. The dolphin was caught in Bagerat, a city located near Sundarbans, one of the biggest mangrove forests in the world. According to the national Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news organization, the fishermen left the body of the dolphin outside a museum after having unsuccessfully trying to find a buyer for the dead animal. The dolphin has now been moved to a visitor center where it will be prepared for an exhibit, according to Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur from the Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project.
According to the WWF, the Ganges River dolphin is rarely seen since it prefers to stay hidden in the murky Ganges River and only surface occasionally to breathe. The species is classified as an endangered species and the total population is believed to consist of no more than 4,000-5,000 specimens. It is threatened by habitat destruction, including dam constructions, and is known to sometimes become entangled in nets. Being caught in a net is naturally really dangerous for a creature that needs to surface to breathe.
The word Sundarbans means “beautiful forest” in Bengali. This large mangrove forest is located at the mouth of the Ganges in Bangladesh and the West Bengal region of India. The forest has been an UNESCO world heritage site since 1997 under the names Sundarbans (the part located in Bangladesh) and Sundarbans National Park (the part located in India). The Ganges River dolphin is not the only endangered species living here; the region is for instance home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. Source: CNN.com