Saving the River Dolphin

Also: Hydrogen - Tomorrow's Petroleum

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December 2001

There really should have been no conflict between fishermen and Ganges river dolphins because dolphins consume only varieties of economically unimportant small-sized fishes. But having almost exhausted the lucrative fishery resources, fishermen have commenced using even ‘mosquito netting’ in an attempt to catch fingerlings, further playing havoc with river fishery while competing directly with dolphins for food.

When I met Dr. S. K. Behera in the WWF- India office in New Delhi in August this year, he told me about a particularly bizarre dolphin killing incident. A fishing contractor had reportedly surrounded an entire deep pool in the Ghagra river (tributary of the Ganges) with a gigantic net to mass capture fish. When the catch was unexpectedly meagre, an angry and disappointed contractor ordered the killing of over ten resident dolphins of the pool, holding them responsible for having eaten up all the fish.

When this and similar incidents of deliberate slaughter of dolphins were reported in the press, the state High Court took up the case directing both union and state governments to report to the court on the actions taken to conserve dolphins including measures to control dolphin killings.

Deliberate and accidental dolphin slaying may still be arrested with the co-operation of fishermen who are very poor people and would willingly give up the arduous fishing trade for an alternative means of livelihood. But eliminating direct killings wouldn’t entirely solve the problem, as there are other major factors that threaten dolphin habitats - river pollution and hydrological changes as a result of human activities in the river catchment.



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Most fisher folk hate it. Some riparian communities revere it. Conservationists are in a tizzy over its dwindling numbers. And to the public at large it doesn’t matter. It is the Ganges river dolphin, an endearing creature with a extended snout that sticks out of the water when it surfaces for a breath of fresh air, and mouth that curves upward in a silly, toothy grin.

‘Cow of the river’ to those who worship it and ‘tiger of the river’ to some that are striving to save the species from extinction, the Ganges river dolphin prefers to remain solitary and isn’t frequently sighted, as there are only some 2000 (down from 4000 - 5000 in the ’80s) of them believed to be surviving in the entire course of the Ganges. It is one of only four freshwater dolphin species found world wide, the others inhabiting equally mighty rivers – the Yangtze, Indus and Amazon.

Swimming slowly most of the time, keeping to deep pools, meanders and swirling stream confluences, the Ganges river dolphin makes gasping noises to breathe as it breaks the water surface every few minutes. It is this breathing sound that has given it the local name susu or souns. The ‘blind dolphin’ is yet another reference to the souns because it is just that – blind. Its pinhole eye has no crystalline lens. But the dolphin can hear far better than we can, and echo locates using sound to find out what is in the water around it by making ‘sound pictures.’

There is, however, one frequently encountered object that the dolphin fails to echo locate – the ultra-fine, monofilament nylon gill nets that fishermen have started using to catch the tiniest of fish. Over fishing is depleting the economically lucrative fishery so fishermen resort to catching even the fingerlings, juveniles and small-sized fishes that also serve as food for the dolphin. This leads to a direct conflict between souns and man. The dolphin tries to get at its prey, does not receive the echo signals of nylon gill nets, swims right into them, gets entangled and drowns. But not before it has thrashed around trying to free itself from the net, tearing it in the process – a bane for fishermen.


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In anger, they kill the dolphin if they happen to catch it alive, using the oil from its blubber for medical purposes and meat and entrails as fish bait.

On the other hand, there is an object that the dolphin successfully echo locates, but still gets trapped – dams and barrages built across the Ganges main stream and its tributaries for irrigation and other purposes. These block the dolphin’s migratory path and that of its food (fish) while genetically isolating its population. Its habitat is further destroyed because large tracts are rendered too shallow for the dolphin to use on account of water being diverted to croplands. Some 35 dolphins have been so trapped between two barrages on the Ganges (at Bijnor and Narora in Uttar Pradesh state) according to the dolphin survey (2000 – 2001) conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature, India (WWF – India) as part of its dolphin conservation programme. “ Protection to the small dolphin population between Bijnor and Narora barrages has to be given high priority. This will be better achieved if this river stretch is protected as a ‘dolphin sanctuary,’ ” says Dr. Sandeep Kumar Behera, co-ordinator, WWF – India River Dolphin Action Group.

Deforestation causing heavy siltation of waters and farming on the riverbed using chemical fertilizers and pesticides are other threats to the souns. “There is a serious need to campaign for the conservation of the Ganges river dolphin which is a charismatic mega-fauna of our country,” says Dr. Behera. “Moreover, it is an indicator animal which has the same position in the river ecosystem as the tiger has in the forest.”

The Ganges river dolphin is protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, categorized as endangered in the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Animals, as well as listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Despite all the legal protection, there has been no focused endeavour to save the species from deliberate and accidental killing and from habitat destruction. As a result, dolphins have completely disappeared from some stretches of the Ganges.

Since 1997, WWF – India has taken up a conservation project that conducts education and awareness about the dolphin among communities whose lives are inextricably linked with the souns and its habitat. Field surveys to assess the species population status, campaigning for strict law enforcement, and taking up direct intervention in courts of law are other project activities.

The Ganges river dolphin may still survive, even if only in protected areas.

ILLEGAL TRADE IN AGARWOOD

Agarwood is the resinous, fragrant and highly valuable heartwood produced by Aquilaria malaccensis and other species of the Aquilaria tree. It may be over-exploited to commercial extinction due to over-harvesting and illegal trade says a report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring arm of WWF and IUCN - the World Conservation Union.

Agarwood is used primarily for medicine, perfume and incense. Perfumes comprise agarwood oil mixed with a carrier such as sandalwood oil. ‘Attar oil,’ for example, is a water-based perfume containing agarwood oil, which is normally used by Muslims to lace prayer clothes. It has also recently been used to fragrance soaps and shampoos. Both agarwood smoke and oil are used as customary perfume in the Middle East.

Exported in the form of wood, wood chips, powder, oil and finished products (perfumes, incense, medicines) from, mainly, Indonesia and Malaysia most of the agarwood in international trade is destined for consumers in the Far and Middle East. The final export destinations from 1995 to 1997 included Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with imports and exports by Singapore.

Aquilaria malaccensis was listed in Appendix 2 of CITES effective 1995 in view of evidence of its unsustainable harvest and trade. This listing obliges all CITES member countries exporting or re-exporting the species parts and derivatives to issue CITES documents for those shipments exported.

Agarwood is only found in a small percentage of Aquilaria trees and since the external signs of its presence are not always obvious, trees are cut down indiscriminately in the search for those containing agarwood. The high value of agarwood products is also stimulating illegal harvest and trade. Illegal harvests have been reported in protected areas in Indonesia, from government plantations in India, as well as from Lao PDR, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
HYDROGEN, “TOMORROW’S PETROLEUM”


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“Just as the aggressive tapping of oil enabled the United States to eclipse Great Britain and become the economic and political power of the twentieth century, nations that move first to harness hydrogen could potentially erode U.S. competitiveness,” says Seth Dunn, research associate (Worldwatch Institute, Washington, DC) and author of Hydrogen Futures: Toward a Sustainable Energy System.

A world powered by hydrogen is on its way to becoming 21st century reality reports the Worldwatch Institute.

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Here is why: there have been rapid improvements in the fuel cell, which uses hydrogen to produce electricity, with water as a byproduct; leading multinationals are placing billion dollar bets on the technology; there is an urgent need to address worsening urban air pollution; rising geopolitical instability due to oil import dependence; and accelerating climate change from fossil fuel combustion.

Countries leading the race to hydrogen include Germany, Japan and Iceland, the last heading toward becoming the world’s first hydrogen economy, replacing petroleum in its buses, cars and fishing boats over the next 30 to 40 years.


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Much of the recent ferment over hydrogen and fuel cells has taken place in the auto industry – Daimler Chrysler (working with Ford and Ballard Power Systems to put transit fuel cell buses on the road in Europe in 2002), Toyota (will start selling its fuel cell car in Japan in 2003) and General Motors (aims to be the first car company to sell one million fuel cell vehicles, beginning mass production by 2010). The energy industry is also getting serious about hydrogen, with Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil and Texaco investing substantially in the technology.

Fuel cells using hydrogen could replace not only internal combustion engines, but also central power plants and batteries in portable electronics, like laptop computers and cell phones.

WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?

Save energy. Shut off our computer when we plan to leave for more than an hour. Generating enough electricity to power the world’s PCs requires the equivalent of 23 million tons of coal every year.

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