Flipper Trap: Third dolphin found trapped in Guddu Barrage gate

SUKKUR:

The body of an Indus dolphin was found stuck in Sukkur Barrage gate no. 25 on Friday. This is the third endangered mammal to be found there this week.

Deputy conservator Ghulam Mohammad Gadani and his team took the body to the dolphin centre near Lab-e-Mehran. After a post-mortem, the eight-year-old dolphin was buried and some tissue samples were sent to the laboratory for further examination.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Gadani said that there was a marked increase in the number of dolphin deaths in the last two years.”The fisheries department has gotten rid of the contract system so now everybody gets a fishing licence for Rs100 on a yearly basis,” he said. “When greedy fishermen are at work, they add a poisonous chemical to catch more fish. This not only harms the marine life but can also be potentially dangerous to human beings.” The mammal was male, 5.2 feet long and weighed 42 kilogrammes.

The previous deputy conservator, Taj Mohammad Shaikh, speculated that somebody was trying to harm the dolphins on purpose and create problems for the wildlife department. “The Indus dolphin is very friendly and totally harmless,” he said. “Only professional fishermen should be allowed to fish in the reserve area between the Guddu and Sukkur Barrages.”

Since January 2011, almost 19 dolphins have been found dead between the two barrages.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2011.