5-year practice: WWF to assess Indus River dolphin

LAHORE:

“The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Pakistan) is set to embark upon an extensive survey to assess Indus River dolphin populations,” said project coordinator Uzma Noureen on Sunday.

She said the Indus River dolphin was a threatened river cetaceans living in five sub-populations in a 1,000 kilometre stretch of the river’s main channel. She said an in-depth survey was a regular practice taken up every five years since 2001. The last survey was completed in 2011.

She said in 2001, 2006 and 2011, the dolphin population was recorded at 1,200, 1,600, and 1,452 respectively.

She said the survey could cover Jinnah barrage southwards to Kotri barrage.

She the wildlife and the irrigation departments of the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would participate in the survey.

She said the goal was to discourage illegal fishing practices that were the biggest threat to the blind Indus dolphin. She said the WWF-Pakistan had taken up some awareness projects in this regard.

She said area between Guddu and Sukkur barrages had been notified as the Indus Dolphin Game Reserve by the Sindh government. She said the protected area of about 200 kms had the largest population of Indus River dolphins.

“We are negotiating with the Punjab government on this matter as there is a range of precious biodiversity here as well,” she said. She said the Indus River dolphin swam sideways, was functionally blind and navigated through echo location to find its prey.

She said its average life span was 30 years.

“The present distribution of Indus River dolphin is about 80 per cent less than what was determined in the 1,870s,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2015.