Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AP) — The last known freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin on a stretch of the Mekong River in northeastern Cambodia has died, apparently after becoming entangled in fishing nets, wildlife officials said.
The aquatic mammal was found dead on a river bank in Stung Treng province, near the Laos border, on February 15, Cambodia’s Ministry of Fisheries Conservation announced on its Facebook page.
The Irrawaddy porpoise, also known as the Mekong dolphin, is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Other pods of dolphins can still be found in the lower reaches of Cambodia and two other freshwater rivers, the Ayeyarwady in Myanmar and the Mahakan on the Indonesian island of Borneo.
The first census of Cambodia’s Irrawaddy dolphins in 1997 estimated their total population to be around 200. By 2020, the estimated number had dropped to 89 individuals, almost all of which were still present in the upper and lower reaches.
“The remaining populations of ‘critically endangered’ puffer dolphins in the Cambodian section of the Mekong are currently stable, but still face serious challenges,” Ram Mercado, WWF Asia Pacific director, said in a statement. “The recent puffer fish deaths underscore these and other species remain vulnerable.”
About a week ago, dead dolphins’ tails were seen tangled in fishing nets, Cambodia’s state news agency AKP reported. It said the dolphins have since been unable to swim normally and have died from injuries and inability to catch their usual prey for nourishment.
The 25-year-old male dolphin, 8.5 feet long and 242 pounds, is believed to have died three days before the body was found, the World Wildlife Fund said.
In addition to being entangled in fishing nets, the species is also threatened by pollution, according to the Cambodia Fisheries Authority and other conservationists.
Risks have also increased in recent years as climate change and upstream dam construction have made waters shallower, both of which have reduced currents and the abundance of other aquatic species that dolphins eat.
