Earlier this year the last Irrawaddy dolphin
(Orcaella brevirostris) died entangled in fishing nets. Known only by his ID code #35, the male was the last occupant of a deep water pool between Laos and Cambodia. His body washed up on the Mekong river bank in mid-February, a victim of man's lack of concern for a doomed population. He struggled to swim and feed himself with deep lacerations to his tail caused by the netting. Specialist have documented the decline of Chheu Teal pool population from 17 individuals in 1993. In 2009 there were only seven; in 2018 only 3 remained. The last one, #35, confirmed the extinction of the species in Laos. An estiated 90 dophins now live in Cambodia's Mekong downstream from the pool. [credit: WWF Cambodia]
Gill nets are just one of the hazards faced by river dolphins. According to WWF Asia-Pacific director, hydro-power dams, overfishing, illegal fishing, and pollution also impact them adversely. In 2012 Cambodia established a ban on gill nets in a core habitat area that spans 110 miles, but enforcement is a problem, especially on the Loatian side of the river. Lack of cooperation from Laotian fishers and government officals contributed to the extinction of the dolphin. Fishers were also displaced by a dam constructed just 2km north of the river, that blocks a deep water channel of the Mekong. They began to encroach on the dolphin's remaining habitat.
The loss of the last dolphin has an economic impact. Twenty years ago tourist could kayak to the pool to watch dophins play around them. Five years ago the tourism stopped and jobs disappeared. But the loss has stengthen the committment of conservation authorities to do more to protect the endangered mammal. And there is hope. WWF and Canbodia announced in 2018 that the species had increased in number from 80 in 2015 to 92 in 2017, marking the first population increase after two decades of steady decline. Undoubtly the river guards are making a positive impact. Tour boat operators assist by reporting illegal fishing activities such as the use of explosives or electro-shock to kill fish in great numbers. This intelligent and attractive species deserves a chance to survive in the series of deep water pools in now inhabits in the Mekong River. latest population estimate in 2020 puts the population inn Cambodian waters at 89 in the 180 km stretch of the river between the Laotian boarder and Kratie Provice. Only man's concerted efforts can save them now.
