State mulls to pay price of fishing net to fishermen who rescue dolphins

kolkata: In a significant stride towards conservation of dolphin, the state Forest department is working on a plan to pay the price of net of the fisherman if the mammal getting stuck in the net is immediately released in the water thereby saving the same. The move comes in the wake of reports of dolphin deaths after getting stuck in thickly knitted fishing gill nets used by the fishermen.

“If a fisherman makes a video of a life-saving effort of a dolphin, if it gets stuck in his net and sends the same to us, we will be paying the price of the net, considering the fact that the net will get damaged for saving the mammal,” a senior official of the state Forest department said.

The Union government has laid special emphasis on conservation of dolphins with the mammal occupying the top position in the food chain and their dwindling numbers would severely affect the balance of the riverine ecosystem . The state has received assistance from the centre realising the fact that there is a congenial situation for Bengal making its contribution to the conservation of dolphin.

The Gangetic River Dolphin is on the endangered list of IUCN and a recent survey by Wildlife Institute of India has zeroed in on 650 dolphins between the stretch from Farakka to Gangasagar.

“It is an open secret that all dolphins does not rise above the water at the same time, so the exact number will surely be more,” the official added.

Rupnarayan in Howrah district has witnessed the highest concentration of dolphins among the five hotspots in the stretch that has been identified as the hub for the mammals.

“We have prepared a masterplan for dolphin conservation and have sent it to the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change for its approval,” state Chief Wildlife Warden, Debal Roy said.According to sources in the Forest department, the masterplan has advocated creating a volunteer force consisting of local people particularly youths who will be acting as the foot soldiers of the department in its efforts towards dolphin conservation.

Sensitisation by forming target groups with children and developing dolphin based tourism is also an integral part of the masterplan.