The Irrawaddy dolphin is rarely seen in the shores of Calabanga, Camarines Sur. Hence, it was a surprise that one of the rare and beautiful creatures was finally seen in the area, leaving scientists of the University of the Philippines excited, but saddened at the same time due to her misfortune.
One female dolphin, named “Caleb” by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and the Philippine Marine Mammals Stranding Network (PMMSN), died after it accidentally got caught in a fisherman’s net in San Miguel Bay off Calabanga last August 16.
Scientists said the young, female dolphin was healthy and she could have been the first living specimen of her species ever to be recorded in that area.
An autopsy revealed that the dolphin’s stomach was still full of undigested fish, indicating that her death was sudden and unexpected.
“Caleb’s death is an unfortunate incident, but it has paved the way to learning more about these rare and beautiful creatures,” said Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, president of PMMSN and a professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology at the University of the Philippines Diliman in a news release.
Critically endangered
The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is characterized by gray or dark-blue backs and pale bellies. It has a high tolerance to various levels of salinity, which enables it to live in areas where salty seawater and freshwater meet, such as in the mouths of rivers and bays.
It is among the world’s most endangered dolphin species. It is indicated as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and by the Philippines’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
This was the first time that an Irrawaddy dolphin was found in the Pacific, or eastern Philippines.
Besides other Irrawaddy dolphin populations in South and Southeast Asia, previous sightings in the Philippines were in the western part of the archipelago—in Malampaya Sound, Palawan, and in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait.
It has subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, from which it got its name.
Prehistoric marine mammals
Experts have yet to understand how Irrawaddy dolphins found their way to Palawan, Iloilo and Bicol.
Aragones indicated that they might have been there since prehistoric times, before humans arrived in the archipelago and, possibly, even before humans existed at all, when environmental conditions were likely optimal for their widespread migration.
“Basically, the populations have been there for a very long time, we just didn’t know to look for them,” Aragones explained.
Despite the need for air to breathe, dolphins spend as much as 95 percent of their lives underwater, enabling them to elude discovery.
Finding Caleb’s family
Aragones said he wants to know more about other possible marine mammal species in San Miguel Bay.
Caleb is proof, he said, that there is still so much yet to be discovered in the Philippines’s richly biodiverse waters.
He and his team of marine mammal scientists and local BFAR personnel are set to visit San Miguel Bay to hopefully find more Irrawaddy dolphins and study them in their natural habitat.
Scientific research
Without a proper survey and understanding of the area’s ecosystems, unregulated human activity could kill off not just Irrawaddy dolphins but other possible as-yet undiscovered species in the area, the UP scientists said.
Unsustainable and illegal fishing practices as well as poorly-planned infrastructure threaten to disrupt local marine environments and biodiversity even before scientists have a chance to study them, the scientists’ said in the news release.
Not surprising
The Irrawaddy dolphin is elusive and rarely seen, Dr. AA Yaptinchay, executive director of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, told the BusinessMirror on September 29, when he was asked to comment.
However, he said it does not mean that they are not there.
According to Yaptinchay, locals may have actually seen them there but only research conducted by experts can verify their presence, which is done through proper documentation.
Locals, he added, who are familiar with the species, could not describe them accurately, underscoring the need to conduct a proper survey or research to come up with a database of marine species that naturally occur or can be found in an area.
There is a survey method that scientists follow, he added.
Like a dugong
According to Yaptinchay, Irrawaddy dolphin is like the dugong in appearance, except for the dolphin’s dorsal fins, or “palikpik.”
However, the Irrawaddy dolphin move faster than the dugong, which is shy and gentle, although they both occupy the same ecosystem—shallow, muddy waters.
Sometimes, the Irrawaddy dolphin can be seen jumping above surface waters, and prefers to feed on fish, unlike the dugong that prefers to stay underwater, quietly foraging in seagrass areas.
According to Yaptinchay, Irrawaddy dolphin is not known to be a migratory animal or long-distance traveler.
Typically, it lives close to the shore, near mangrove areas, muddy waters and near the mouth of rivers.
“It prefers shallow waters,” he said.
Threatened, too
Yaptinchay said all marine mammals are protected. Dolphins, he said, are protected by DA-BFAR.
Unfortunately, he said, like other marine mammals, the Irrawaddy dolphin is targeted by fishermen.
“We have not seen fishermen actually catch and eat them. But we know it is happening,” said Yaptinchay, whose group advocates the protection and conservation of large marine mammals and their habitats in the Philippines.
Yaptinchay said other than hunting, Irrawaddy dolphin is also threatened by habitat loss or the destruction of natural habitat by so-called development projects like bridges, offshore mining and land-reclamation, underscoring the need to identify critical habitats like those being occupied by Irrawaddy dolphin to prevent its extinction.
“We need to declare these areas, after research and confirmation that an area is a habitat of important species, as a critical habitat, marine protected area or fish sanctuary,” he said.
Protecting marine habitats
Environmental advocates are one in saying that to protect endangered species, you need to protect their habitats, first and foremost.
Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, vice president of Oceana Philippines, an international ocean conservation advocacy nongovernment organization, agrees with the need to protect important habitats of threatened marine animals.
“We need to protect the habitats of Irrawaddy dolphin and all forms of marine life, including fishes, which they and humans depend on for nutrients and survival. A healthy marine ecosystem translates to a healthy and bountiful ocean which benefits us all,” Ramos, an environmental lawyer told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on September 29.
Illegal commercial fishing
According to Ramos, the number one threat is illegal commercial fishing, which is still pervasive, with repeat offenders’ licenses remaining unrevoked.
“Karagatan Patrol [Ocean Patrol] has been preventing the extent of apparent illegal fishing in our municipal waters. We also need to increase marine protected areas. Projects which destroy the marine habitats and ecosystems should no longer be allowed,” she pointed out.
Ramos said that with the establishment of 12 Fisheries Management Bodies with their respective Science Advisory Groups, there is no reason why the management plans not being rolled out.
This include the National Sardines Management Plan way back in 2020.
“[The] key is genuine participation of stakeholders, including artisanal fisherfolk, and political will to fully implement the law. For the Irrawaddy dolphin, Earth Island Institute Ph is spearheading the petition in the DA-BFAR to declare its protection,” Ramos said.
Image credits: BFAR V , Shedy Masayon's