What is an Irrawaddy Dolphin?
Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are an oceanic dolphin named after the Irrawaddy (Ayeyawaddy) River and are one of the world’s five species of dolphins that live in rivers. They have a grey body, a blunt forehead and nose, unlike the other oceanic dolphins, and can live up to 50 years. They use echolocation (sound) to hunt fish and communicate together. Irrawaddy dolphins are endangered and have an estimated total population of 7,100. They are found in only three rivers today, and there are less than 70 individuals left in the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, where they are critically endangered.
What’s endangering Irrawaddy Dolphins?
- Shock by electrofishing
- Entanglement in gill nets or drift nets put across the river
- Lack of food as a result of over-fishing
- Pollution from mining and other industry
- Noise disturbance from large boats
- Less habitat from soil erosion
What is cooperative fishing?
In Myanmar, the amazingly clever and intelligent Irrawaddy dolphin has learned to fish in a mutually beneficial way together with cast net fishermen, termed “cooperative fishing”—a unique phenomenon found in only two other places in the world (Laguna, Brazil and the Imraguen people in Mauritania). Communication via calls and signals is made by both dolphins and fishermen, with the dolphins rearing schools of fish towards the cast net fishing boats and signalling to the fishermen to throw their nets when the fish near close to the boat. Only a handful of fishermen still practice cooperative fishing with dolphins these days. Communicating with dolphins and coordinating the throw with their signals takes years of skill and trust building with dolphins. The tradition is dying, as modern fishing practices and economics take over. Illegal electrofishing is also breaking down the trust between dolphins and fishermen, as dolphins are sometimes shocked and killed.
Ayeyawady Dolphin Protected Area
Myanmar’s Ayeyawady Dolphin Protected Area is the only place where you can see both Irrawaddy dolphins and the cooperative fishing tradition. It was the country’s first aquatic protected area, established in 2005, stretches for 74 km and has approximately 25 dolphins in the area. It is best visited from Mandalay on an overnight boat trip for 2 or 3 days in order to maximise your chances of spotting dolphins and having ample time to witness cooperative fishing in action. There are seven cooperative fishing villages that can be visited along the way that still maintain traditional culture, as well as other attractions such the 126 species of birds of the Upper Ayeyawaddy.
How Your Visit Helps
- Generates income for cooperative fishermen and their families
- Creates incentives for dolphin protection
- Raises awareness to protect dolphins & cooperative fishing
- Proceeds from the project’s revenue (5%) and donations by visitors help with community development
