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Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

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Coastal species<strong>The</strong> most frequently sighted cetacean is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>Irrawaddy dolphin. Nothing is known <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> status<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> coastal cetacean populati<strong>on</strong>s. <strong>The</strong> reportedpresence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> dug<strong>on</strong>gs is encouraging—although<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dug<strong>on</strong>g may be Cambodia’s most threatenedmarine mammal.Habitat statusMek<strong>on</strong>g RiverDuring <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> early 1970s, war <strong>and</strong> political upheavalresulted indirectly in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> preservati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>majority <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fish stocks <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> natural Mek<strong>on</strong>gRiver envir<strong>on</strong>ment. However, stabilizati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>country <strong>and</strong> ec<strong>on</strong>omic development are nowresulting in increased pressure <strong>on</strong> freshwaterresources, with evident threats, such as dynamitefishing <strong>and</strong> over-fishing. Planned hydro-electricdams <strong>and</strong> waterway development threatens<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> entire lower Mek<strong>on</strong>g River Basin (sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rnLaos, Cambodia <strong>and</strong> Vietnam). A Chinese plan todevelop a shipping channel by blasting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lowerMek<strong>on</strong>g rapids (sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn Laos) would severelyaffect fish stocks <strong>and</strong> disrupt <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dolphin’s dryseas<strong>on</strong> habitat <strong>and</strong> deep-water pool refuges(Roberts 2001). In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dry low-water seas<strong>on</strong>,<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dolphins are generally found in deep-waterpools (15-20 m deep); increased siltati<strong>on</strong> due todeforestati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> development projects is a threatto this critical habitat.Coastal watersAs with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mek<strong>on</strong>g River envir<strong>on</strong>ment, years <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>war <strong>and</strong> political upheaval resulted in decreasedfishing effort <strong>on</strong> coastal resources. However, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>reare now again significant pressures <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> coastalecosystem. Poverty <strong>and</strong> lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> infrastructureensure that local people do not fish far from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>irhomes. <strong>The</strong>y also <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten engage in destructivefishing practices. Threats include dynamite fishing,trawl <strong>and</strong> push-net fishing, which are particularlydestructive to dug<strong>on</strong>g foraging habitat in seagrassareas. <strong>The</strong>re is also increasing pressure fromneighboring countries (Thail<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Vietnam),whose fishermen are able to fish apparentlyunregulated in Cambodian waters using largemodern trawls <strong>and</strong> vessels.Directed catchesMek<strong>on</strong>g River<strong>The</strong> Cham people <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Cambodia <strong>and</strong> Vietnamformerly hunted dolphins (Baird <strong>and</strong> Mounsophom1994). <strong>The</strong>re is no known direct catch <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Irrawaddydolphins in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mek<strong>on</strong>g River in Cambodia atpresent. During <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Khmer Rouge regime, dolphinswere reportedly killed for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir oil (Perrin et al.1996). Based <strong>on</strong> informati<strong>on</strong> obtained throughinterviews, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were also shot occasi<strong>on</strong>allyfor target practice by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Vietnamese after <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>war. However, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se activities have now stopped.Coastal speciesBeasley reported that immigrants from inl<strong>and</strong>provinces, who c<strong>on</strong>fuse dolphins with fish, areknown to have deliberately killed at least sevenIrrawaddy dolphins in 2002. No o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r directedcatches are known. <strong>The</strong> first known live-capture<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> dolphins in Cambodian waters occurred in1994 (Perrin et al. 1996), when eight Irrawaddydolphins were captured <strong>and</strong> sent to Safari Worldin Thail<strong>and</strong>. In January 2002, at least eightIrrawaddy <strong>and</strong> 12 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphinswere captured by local Cambodians for displayat Koh K<strong>on</strong>g Internati<strong>on</strong>al Resort, a casino <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>Thail<strong>and</strong>/Cambodia border. Such catches couldlead to extirpati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> local populati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>sespecies.Dug<strong>on</strong>gs caught accidentally in fishing gear (suchas surrounding nets <strong>and</strong> gillnets) are killed due to<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir high m<strong>on</strong>etary value. Tusks, teeth <strong>and</strong> b<strong>on</strong>esare used for traditi<strong>on</strong>al medicine <strong>and</strong> aphrodisiacpurposes (with <strong>on</strong>e tusk worth up to US$100) <strong>and</strong><str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> meat is sold for human c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong>.20 CMS Technical Series Publicati<strong>on</strong> Nº 9 - 2005

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