Cambodia sees slow reduction of dolphins, growth in infant survival rate: survey

The rate of decline in the number of critically endangered Mekong freshwater dolphins in Cambodia has slowed in recent years, despite serious threats from gill net fishing, a survey showed on Wednesday.

The new dolphin population is 80 individuals in the country, which is five less than in 2010, but the annual rate of decline slowed from about 7 percent per year in 2007 to 1.6 percent in 2015.

The survey was jointly conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Fisheries Administration of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

"This is thanks to years of work by the Fisheries Administration and WWF in protecting their habitat and removing gill nets, a major cause of dolphin mortality," the survey report said.

It showed that the recruitment of new individuals - juveniles who survive to adulthood - is currently estimated at 0.8 percent per year, compared to zero prior to 2013.

Sam Ath Chhith, director of WWF-Cambodia, said the survey gave hope for the recovery of Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins.

"However, we need to redouble our efforts to protect the dolphins," he said.

Eng Cheasan, director-general of the Fisheries Administration, said the result of the survey reflected many years of continuous efforts put into protecting this species.

"We will continue our conservation efforts to recover its population by eliminating all threats to the survival of Irrawaddy dolphins," he said.

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.

Their habitats are in a 180-km protected area along the Mekong River in eastern Cambodia's Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. Enditem