Irrawaddy Dolphins Population Continues to Decline with Only 41 Left

TheIndonesia.id - The population of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins continues to decline, and the number has now dropped to only 41.

Researcher from Conservation Foundation for Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia (RASI), Danielle Kreb, said several factors contribute to the decreasing number of East Kalimantan’s endemic species.

As the number continues to drop every year, gillnet (or rengge as locals call it) used by fishermen is the main cause behind the worrying situation. From 1995 to 2021, it’s estimated that 70 percent of Irrawaddy dolphins’ deaths are due to being trapped in rengge.

Crashing into boats is estimated to contribute to 9 percent of total deaths, followed with waste poisoning (7 percent), killing (5 percent), maternal death (3 percent), trapped in shallow area ( 2 percent), electrofishing (2 percent), predators (2 percent), and longline fishing or rawai (1 percent).

Irrawaddy dolphins are known by Indonesian as pesut Mahakam because in Indonesia, they live in Mahakam river in East Kalimantan.

“[Their] habitat is the middle of Mahakam river and its tributaries, including Lake Semayang,” Kreb explained, as reported by Antara on Sunday, December 26.

She added that concrete actions from every stakeholder will create an impact on Irrawaddy dolphins’ population growth.

The researcher revealed that from July 2017 to June 2018, six dolphins were born, and another five were born between June 2018 and May 2019.

The birth rate didn’t significantly rise in the following periods as only seven dolphins were born between June 2019 and May 2020, followed with six dolphins from June 2020 to May 2021.

In 2020, Kutai Kartanegara regional government has issued a Regent’s Decree No. 75 on the protection of Irrawaddy dolphins’ habitat. More specifically, it regulates the reservation of conservation areas of Irrawaddy dolphins’ habitat in an effort to preserve the species.

To complement the effort made by authorities, RASI also continues to educate locals on the importance of plastic recycling to minimize the volume of waste dumped into river.

Collaborative effort is expected to bring results to the protection of pesut Mahakam.

Lastly, Kreb said most locals agree that Irrawaddy dolphins need to be protected. Among the various reasons of why locals have similar view is a local folklore that says the species must be protected and that they bring good luck. Besides, those dolphins are simply seen as a source of entertainment by people.