Tuesday September 5, 2006
An enduring fascination
IT WAS love at first sight and the passion has not waned for Wayne Tarman, who regularly visits Santubong peninsula for a rendezvous with the elusive Irrawaddy dolphin which he first encountered in 2000.
He professes an addiction to dolphin-watching and though not a marine biologist, wants to spread the word about the species and raise awareness on the threats faced by this docile creature.
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Irrawaddy dolphins are the least gregarious of the world’s dolphin species. Studies show that it is threatened by habitat loss and pollution, and in some cases poached for the show animal trade. |
Sharing his observations on his blog (http://dolphinsofsarawak.blogspot.com) and aptly giving himself the nickname pesut, the local name for dolphins, the travel consultant reckons that Sarawak could well be one of the global hotspots for the highly endangered Irrawaddy dolphin as the species is regularly sighted in a number of river systems and estuaries in the state.
Irrawaddy dolphins are among the most vulnerable dolphins in the world as their habitat of inshore waters coincides with areas of intensive human activity.
Tarman writes in his blog that protecting the Irrawaddy dolphin will require the concerted effort of a range of stakeholders – government agencies, local communities, non-governmental organisations, research institutions and the tourism industry.
“Whilst funding is always a problem with any conservation initiative, international funding may be available owing to serious threats faced by the Irrawaddy across its distribution range,” he writes.
Another concern of Tarman’s is the unknown mortality rate of the marine mammal through by-catch, which could well be the biggest threat.
In the occasions when an Irrawaddy dolphin is entangled in nets, it would be released. If the animal is dead, the carcass is taken back to the village and consumed.
Tarman says there is urgent need for a by-catch monitoring system where fishermen can report incidents and the relevant agency can track such happenings and eventually develop counter-measures.
He says random surveys at villages indicate about two by-catch incidents a year but figures could be significant given the big number of fishing villages along the coastline from Tanjung Datu in the southwest to Limbang in the northeast of the state.
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