Second Pan-India Dolphin Survey Launches from Bijnor under Project Dolphin

Key facts

• The Union Environment Ministry launched the second pan-India counting exercise for dolphins to assess the status of Gangetic, Indus river and Irrawaddy dolphins.
• The survey commenced at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh with 26 researchers in three boats, recording ecological and habitat parameters while using hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring.
• In the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar and the Indus River.
• In the second phase, it will cover Brahmaputra, the tributaries of the Ganga, the Sundarbans, and Odisha.
• The previous survey recorded an estimated 6,327 dolphins in Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Gandak, Ghaghara, Kosi, Mahanada and Brahmaputra systems, and a small population of Indus river dolphins in the Beas.
• This survey will include Irrawaddy dolphin, found in the Sundarban delta and Odisha, to update population estimates, assess threats and habitat conditions.
• Led by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, the survey is coordinated with state forest departments and organisations like WWF India, Aaranyak and Wildlife Trust of India.