(The International Herald)
Death of 7 Indus blind dolphins alarms conservationists
Noor Aftab
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Islamabad
The recent death of seven Indus blind dolphins under mysterious conditions raised the eyebrows of the wildlife conservationists who emphasised on the need for reviewing the Fishing Card System, keep strict vigil over fishermen and amend designs of barrages which divide their population into smaller families in the Indus River.
Coordinator of Indus River Dolphin Conservation Project of World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pak), Uzma Naureen Khan, told this correspondent that there are many threats to blind Indus dolphins including less water level, unsustainable fishing practices, net entanglement, use of poisonous chemicals by fishermen and construction of hydel power station along the Indus. She said use of poisonous chemicals by the fishermen is too dangerous because water level increases only in monsoon season otherwise it remains low and when there is not enough water then use of even small amount of poisonous chemicals by fishermen can kill a large number of fish.
Uzma said when there were contractors then monitoring of fishermen was quite easier but after introduction of Benazir Fishing Card System it is quite difficult to keep vigil over activities of the fishermen.
"The contractors were responsible for any illegal fishing practice but after introduction of the new system it is difficult to put blame to anyone because no one comes under any scrutiny or take responsibility for any illegal act," she said.
Referring to use of pesticides being used for irrigation purposes she said when pesticides spill into the river these are absorbed by small plants and micro-organisms and ultimately eaten by small fish as the blind dolphin stands at the top of food chain it swallows these small fish and becomes victim of the poisonous material.
A dolphin survey conducted by WWF-Pakistan in 2001 stated that there are only 725 dolphins in 190-km Indus Dolphin Reserve and the number increased to 1600, as discovered in a dolphin survey conducted in 2006.
Uzma denied the reports that a French team of experts has arrived to investigate the recent death of blind dolphins and said a French man Francois Xavier Pelletier who works for conservation of dolphins came to Pakistan to participate only in dolphin rescue activities usually carried out from Jan 5 to Jan 21 during canals closure.
She said net entanglement is also one of the major threats to big fish like Indus dolphins because fishermen use nets with very small holes to catch even `baby fish' which they sell in the market so there is a need to keep strict check to ensure everyone follows it in letter and spirit.
Uzma also underlined another threat to dolphins in the shape of domestic waste and effluent of different factories of southern Punjab that is also fast polluting the river and it is also not only affecting water species but also posing danger to health of the people who use fish food products.
She said one of the seven dead dolphins showed sign of injuries in its rostrum and head that indicated that it might have hit the gate of the barrage but "we are investigating the reasons and would prepare a report about it." The blind Indus dolphins were imprisoned in small portions of water due to construction of six barrages including Sukkur Barrage (1932), Jinnah Barrage (1946), Kotri Barrage (1955), Taunsa Barrage (1959), Guddu Barrage (1962) and Chashma Barrage (1971).
Umer Waqas, senior site officer of Pakistan Wetlands Programme, told this correspondent that total population of Indus Dolphins has been subdivided by barrages into five or six subpopulations. At least two of these are so small (fewer than 20 animals) that they have little chance of survival past the next few decades. "The gene flow, considered highly important for survival of any living specie, is also impossible due to one-way movement of the blind Indus dolphins down the river. The designs of barrages must be reviewed to ensure easy two-way movement of the dolphins from Sukkur to Chashma belt," he said.
He said fish ladders are available in the barrages but it seems that dolphins hesitate to use it frequently due to which they mostly spend their time in the space between two barrages.
After millions of years of evolution, the blind Indus dolphins are going through a crucial period for their survival and concerted efforts can help survive them. If it happens the winners would not be just the blind dolphins but the mankind and the planet we live in.
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