Posted on February, 28 2007

In February 2007, the WWF Thailand Country Programme hosted a meeting on dolphin conservation in the Inner Gulf of Thailand, to exchange experiences on Irrawaddy dolphin research and the study of dolphin remains as indicators of environmental pressures and threats.

More than ten dolphin specialists from Bang Pakong Estuary, the Andaman Coast, Songkla Lake, the Mekong River, and the Cambodian Coast joined in this significant event. Together these specialists developed methods to protect the dolphins in the Inner Gulf of Thailand, as well as strengthen research collaboration with all stakeholders.

The meeting was the first step of a project that will lead to the development of a database on Thailand’s dolphins to support the proper and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in the region. Thitivuth Kochasarnsin, WWF Thailand Acting Country Director, and Theerasuk Jutupraprasit, Deputy Managing Director of Gulf Electric Public Co. Ltd, the programme sponsors, opened the meeting.  This was followed by a forum led by prestigious marine biologists from all over the region on their experiences related to dolphins and whales.

“The Gulf of Thailand has a length of 350 kilometres. We have recorded many dolphin and whale species. The first being the Irrawaddy dolphin, the Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin, the finless porpoise, and the Bryde’s whale,” said Narong Hutchsuk, a researcher from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

Mr Hutchsuk also provided statistics on dolphin carcass counts saying that “in the past three to four years, we have found carcasses every year, with a total of ten carcasses. The most recent record was a young Irrawaddy dolphin found on 12 February. The autopsy revealed a crack in the left side of the skull, meaning it died from a blood clot in the brain.”

“The main cause of mortality is infection in the lungs and respiratory parasites. These parasites are normally found in nature, and the animals can usually adapt to them, but as stress is higher from increasing pollution, dolphins become two to three times weaker than normal. Another common cause of death is pneumonia which leads the sick dolphins to eventually die from drowning.” DMV Nunsika Sunseu, Assistant Professor from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, stated.  

Thailand is still behind in having preliminary measures to rescue marine mammals. “People with animal care experience are very few; therefore, the most important thing to do is to train and build capacity in this field,” Dr Nuntika continued. “Protecting dolphins does not merely mean saving that one life, but demonstrating Thailand’s capacity in various fields.”

Richard Zanre, Project Manager of the Mekong River Dolphin Conservation Cambodia, presented information on the status, threats, and research methods along a 190-kilometre stretch of the Mekong River in Cambodia, where one of the last populations of Mekong dolphins is found. He spoke of successful methods in building awareness, as well as ways of promoting collaboration with local communities and government agencies. One of the methods discussed was having a community patrol unit in the Wang Nam Leuk area, a significant habitat of the finless porpoise in the dry season and ecotourism site that provides significant income for the local communities.

Lastly, Kriang Mahasri, patrol boat captain of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources spoke of the threats to the dolphins’ food chain. “Encroachment by trawlers that come to catch krill has a serious impact on dolphin populations. Krill are the primary food of the striped sea catfish, which in turn are the dolphins’ favourite food. As more trawlers come in, the food sources decrease and so do the number of dolphins recorded.”

The combined efforts of specialists working together to strengthen conservation efforts in the Inner Gulf of Thailand are having direct impacts on the richness of the country’s coastal resources, a significant natural investment for economies at the community, national, and regional levels.

For further information:
Ramone Bisset, Communications Officer
WWF Thailand
E-mail: ramoneb@wwfgreatermekong.org