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By-catchesMekong RiverBy-catch in gillnets is currently <strong>the</strong> most significantthreat to <strong>the</strong> survival <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Irrawaddy dolphins in<strong>the</strong> Mekong River. During <strong>the</strong> dry season, <strong>the</strong>dolphins are concentrated in deep-water habitatthat also support many economically valuablefishes. During 2001, three carcasses were found<strong>of</strong> dolphins that had died as a result <strong>of</strong> by-catchin gillnets. Dynamite fishing is also known to killdolphins accidentally; it may also injure dolphinsand make <strong>the</strong>m more susceptible to entanglementin gillnets.Coastal speciesBy-catch is known to occur in a variety <strong>of</strong> net typesfor both cetaceans and dugongs. The numberscaught each year are unknown. Dolphins are<strong>of</strong>ten released if <strong>the</strong>y are found alive in nets,due to <strong>the</strong> local belief that it is bad luck to catch<strong>the</strong>m. However, by-caught dugongs are retainedand killed (Beasley et al. 2001).Legal status and present managementarrangementsAlthough <strong>the</strong>re are no regulations directed at<strong>the</strong> conservation or management <strong>of</strong> marinemammals, a new Fisheries Law is being draftedthat includes specific regulations pertaining tomarine mammals. In addition, <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong>Fisheries has expressed an interest in developing adraft Royal Decree for <strong>the</strong> protection <strong>of</strong> Irrawaddydolphins in <strong>the</strong> Mekong River.Folk attitudes and interactions with marinemammalsLocal Cambodian people hold cetaceans in veryhigh regard. Local folklore stresses <strong>the</strong> dolphin’srelationship to humans (Baird 1999). Dolphins arenot directly exploited and it is believed to be verybad luck if a dolphin is killed accidentally. This highcultural regard does not extend to dugongs. It isregarded as very good luck if a dugong is founddead or alive in fishing gear, due to its highmonetary and traditional value. This probablyexplains why <strong>the</strong> dugong may be <strong>the</strong> mosthighly threatened marine mammal in Cambodianwaters.Description <strong>of</strong> existing research programsIn January 2001, <strong>the</strong> Wildlife ConservationSociety and James Cook University (Queensland,Australia), in collaboration with <strong>the</strong> CambodianDepartment <strong>of</strong> Fisheries, initiated a researchproject on both riverine and coastal Cambodianmarine mammals. The research project consists <strong>of</strong>field surveys, education and awareness programsand capacity building (Doc. 34).Needs for additional researchAdditional needed research includes work onabundance, distribution and critical habitats forboth Irrawaddy dolphins in <strong>the</strong> Mekong andcoastal marine mammals. Close cooperationwith local government departments (such as <strong>the</strong>Cambodian Department <strong>of</strong> Fisheries) and localfishing communities will be essential. Buildingpublic awareness <strong>of</strong> cetaceans and <strong>the</strong>ir statusin both coastal and riverine communities is alsoneeded.Present and potential whale and dolphinwatching operationsMekong RiverOne dolphin watching operation presently focuseson Irrawaddy dolphins in <strong>the</strong> Cambodian sector <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Mekong. The operation is located at Kampipool near Kratie. Up to three small “longtail”boats take tourists out to view <strong>the</strong> dolphins forUS$3-5 an hour. The boats normally approach adolphin group using <strong>the</strong> motor and <strong>the</strong>n stop <strong>the</strong>motor for <strong>the</strong> remainder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> viewing, paddlingif necessary to obtain closer views. There is also aland-based viewing site at <strong>the</strong> same location.<strong>Second</strong> <strong>Workshop</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Biology and Conservation <strong>of</strong> Small Cetaceans and Dugongs <strong>of</strong> SE Asia 21
Coastal speciesThere are currently no dolphin watching operationsin coastal waters <strong>of</strong> Cambodia. However, given<strong>the</strong> close proximity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coast to Phnom Penh,and <strong>the</strong> reliable occurrence in particular areas <strong>of</strong>coastal and <strong>of</strong>fshore species, dolphin watchingtourism has potential.2.1.4 ChinaTwenty-one species <strong>of</strong> small marine cetaceansand <strong>the</strong> dugong have been reported from Chinesewaters <strong>of</strong> SE Asia (Appendix 2). Separate accountsare given here for <strong>the</strong> Mainland, Hong Kong,Macao, and Taiwan.MainlandSpecies and distributionAll twenty-one small marine cetacean speciesknown from China have been reported fromMainland waters: 16 from <strong>the</strong> South China Sea, 20from <strong>the</strong> East China Sea, 6 from <strong>the</strong> Yellow Sea,3 from <strong>the</strong> Bohai Sea, and 4 from <strong>the</strong> YangtzeRiver (one resident and 3 vagrant) (Table 2). Thedistribution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dugong in Chinese watersis now believed to be restricted to a very smallpopulation along <strong>the</strong> coast <strong>of</strong> Guangxi ZhuangAutonomous Region and <strong>the</strong> west coast <strong>of</strong> HainanIsland, especially in <strong>the</strong> region <strong>of</strong> Hepu County inGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.Population statusThe humpback dolphin and <strong>the</strong> coastal finlessporpoise (N. p. phocaenoides) are particularlysusceptible to <strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> human activities incoastal waters. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacific humpbackdolphin populations is centered around <strong>the</strong>mouth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pearl River (Zhujiang River). Theestimate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> total population size in <strong>the</strong> PearlRiver estuary is about 1,000 dolphins (Jefferson2000). The population in Xiamen waters wasroughly estimated to be about 60 animals (Liuand Huang 2000). The sizes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacifichumpback dolphin populations in o<strong>the</strong>r areas,including that in <strong>the</strong> Beibu Gulf <strong>of</strong>f GuangxiAutonomous Region, remain unknown.From July to September 1994, a line-transectsampling survey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> common bottlenosedolphin in <strong>the</strong> area between 25° and 30° N, west<strong>of</strong> 125°E in <strong>the</strong> East China Sea yielded a minimumestimated density <strong>of</strong> 0.14 individuals/km2 (Yanget al. 1997). Estimated density <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Indo-Pacificbottlenose dolphin in Xiamen-Dongshan waters <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Taiwan Strait based on line transect surveysin June 1998 was 0.0436 ± 0.0286 individuals/km2(Yang et al. 2000). Nothing is known about <strong>the</strong>status <strong>of</strong> most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cetacean species or <strong>the</strong>dugong in Mainland waters.Habitat statusIn <strong>the</strong> course <strong>of</strong> economic development in China,rapid industrialization and urbanization haveoccurred along <strong>the</strong> coast. The habitat has beendegraded as a result <strong>of</strong> extensive development(Zhou 2002). Pollution-assessment data indicatedeclines in water quality in Bohai Bay, LaizhouBay, <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn Yellow Sea, Jiaozhou Bay, <strong>of</strong>f<strong>the</strong> Jiangsu coast, Hangzhou Bay, <strong>the</strong> YangtzeRiver estuary, <strong>the</strong> Zhoushan Fishing Ground and<strong>the</strong> Pearl River estuary. The main pollutants inChinese coastal waters include inorganic nitrogen,inorganic phosphorous and oil. More than 80%<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pollutants are <strong>of</strong> terrestrial origin. Largeamounts <strong>of</strong> waste material and wastewater aredischarged into <strong>the</strong> sea along <strong>the</strong> coast. This is amajor threat to <strong>the</strong> seagrass beds in tropical andsub-tropical waters on which <strong>the</strong> dugongs feeds.Water pollution is a major factor in <strong>the</strong> decline<strong>of</strong> fishery resources in China’s coastal waters(Zhou 2002). The Bohai Sea was once a majorfishing ground. Now, no fishing season exists<strong>the</strong>re because <strong>of</strong> pollution and overfishing.Likewise, during <strong>the</strong> 1970s, Dalian Bay in <strong>the</strong>Yellow Sea yielded 15,000 kg <strong>of</strong> sea cucumber22 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005
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Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTSpage1. Preliminari
Page 7 and 8: AppendicesAppendix 1 - List <strong
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Page 13 and 14: The cetacean species reviewed inclu
Page 15 and 16: Table 1. Major commercial Commonwea
Page 17 and 18: (2) State Legislation.In state wate
Page 19 and 20: (2) Identification of</stro
Page 21: Coastal speciesThe most frequently
Page 25 and 26: and Guangxi Provinces (Yang et al.
Page 27 and 28: Table 3. Records of</strong
Page 29 and 30: can be viewed as the</stron
Page 31 and 32: Workshop participa
Page 33 and 34: ioaccumulation have not yet been ex
Page 35 and 36: of fishermen who h
Page 37 and 38: are supplied to scholars and organi
Page 39 and 40: threats. Many marine mammal populat
Page 42: waters or recognize important inter
Page 47 and 48: James Cook University (Queensland,
Page 49 and 50: the last ten years
Page 51 and 52: proactive in engaging more staff an
Page 53 and 54: of SE Asia. Two sp
Page 55 and 56: San Francisco (Negros Oriental); Li
Page 57 and 58: Legal status and present management
Page 59 and 60: within 15 kilometers from t
Page 61 and 62: US, has actively participated in ce
Page 63 and 64: the project was su
Page 65 and 66: Recently, the camp
Page 67 and 68: Mekong River downstream of<
Page 69 and 70: porpoises in tropical waters <stron
Page 71 and 72: species in the Ind
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Population/stock structureNo new in
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Needs for additional researchStock
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waters of SE Asia,
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caused mortality is certainly large
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Needs for additional researchProper
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from SE Asia, it is known to occur
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3.1.7 AustraliaDugongs occur all al
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Table 8. Conservation objectives id
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3) Monitoring and assessment <stron
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Table 10. Outline of</stron
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The group agreed that this set <str
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6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSThe works
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96 CMS Technical Series Publication
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Bank, E. 1931. A popular account <s
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Dalebout, M. L., J. G. Mead, C. Sco
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Jaaman, S. A., E. Tangon, I. Isnain
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Lin, Y.-J. 1997. Mitochondrial DNA
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Smith, B.D., T. A. Jefferson, D. Ho
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Yang, W.-C. 2000. Morbillivirus inf
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CHOU Lien-SiangDepartment o
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Brian D. SMITHWildlife Conservation
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APPENDIX 3Agenda1. Preliminaries2.
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Doc. 22 Dugong conservation activit
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AreaDatesSurveyTypeEffortSpeciesNo.
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Phase ofActionPlan
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[Small cetaceans are defined to inc
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f) recognizing that by-catch in fis
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130 CMS Technical Series Publicatio
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APPENDIX 9Abstracts of</str
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The (IUCN Critically Endangered) Du
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Status of
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Cetacean Habitats in the</s
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Conservation of <s
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Summary of Current
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Indonesia’s Cetacean Migration Co
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Conservation Effort to Protect <str
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The Status of <str
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Can the Developing
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Status and Conservation of<
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Legal Hunting of C
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Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (T
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Feasibility Study of</stron
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Songs of a Humpbac
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