Kendrapada: The population of dolphins in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and its nearby areas within Bhitarkanika National Park marginally increased in December 2022.
The dolphins count stood at 550, including 6 Irrawaddy, 281 bottlenose, 208 humpbacks, 52 striped, and three spinner species in the park during the annual census of 2022.
In 2021, 540 dolphins were found in the park, said acting DFO of Bhitarkanika Adhir Behera.
“We had engaged 10 teams to enumerate the dolphins. The dolphin census was conducted from December 21 to 23, 2022,” The New Indian Eexpress quoted Behera as saying.
Forest guards, locals, environmentalists were among those engaged in the exercise, conducted in waterbodies of the sanctuary and its nearby areas. The enumerators used GPS to map the exact location of dolphins.
The Odisha coast emerged as an ideal habitat for dolphins, witnessing a 33% rise.
Gahiramatha was declared a marine sanctuary in 1997 by the state government to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha beach.
The Odisha government imposes an annual ban on fishing in the sanctuary from November 1 to May 31 to protect the turtles. The seven-month-long fishing ban also helps maintain the population of dolphins in Gahirmatha.
