Fishermen’s friends: dolphins under threat in Myanmar, but eco-tour group works to save them
- Dolphins that work with fishermen on the Irrawaddy River are threatened by overfishing
- An ecologist and a tour group are working to assure the survival of the critically endangered mammals and the fishermen’s livelihoods
Dolphin whisperer U Aung Thinn taps a hand-carved stick on the side of his slender boat and patiently waits. As he spots the dolphins’ grey arches gracefully moving towards him, he gathers his fishing equipment.
One of the dolphins flicks its tail out of the water, sending the signal for Thinn to cast his net. The mammals corral fish towards the boat. As the fish swarm into the net, the dolphins devour the inevitable overspill.
However, like the dolphins, the future of Myanmar’s cooperative fishing is under threat.
Thinn’s father taught him how fishermen and dolphins can work together. Featuring in folktales that date back centuries, the method has seen generations of Burmese build a mutually beneficial relationship with the majestic water mammals.
“It’s difficult to learn, and the younger generation do not want to do it now; fishing is becoming harder and it’s not economically viable,” says Paul Eshoo, project adviser for Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project. “Cheaper nets and fishing equipment make that form of fishing more efficient.”
In a bid to save the Irrawaddy dolphins while providing additional income for cooperative fishing communities, last year Eshoo joined forces with local tour company Living Irrawaddy Travel to launch Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project.
The social business runs one- to three-day trips from Mandalay into the heart of rural Myanmar. All profits are ploughed back into the seven cooperative fishing communities the company works with, and towards protecting the dolphins.
One conservation project sees Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project rent part of the Irrawaddy River, where it enforces strict regulations and hires villagers to patrol the waters for illegal fishing.
“The whole river was being developed for fishing contracts where people can bid to rent parts of it,” says Eshoo. “This incentivises overfishing and the use of illegal fishing methods, so we invested in a main area where the dolphins are, to protect it.”
But the highlight is accompanying a cooperative fisherman in his boat and seeing how he communicates with dolphins.
Fishermen have names for each of the mammals, some of whom they have known for decades. “The dolphins are really clever, and playful,” says Eshoo. “Fishermen tell me when they are trying to take a nap, dolphins will nudge the boat and wake them with a squirt of water from their blowhole.”
“The relationship with dolphins is not as good as it was in the old days,” laments Thinn.
Electrofishing has taken its toll and has surged in recent years, thanks to the introduction of cheap batteries from China. This illegal practice sees fishermen plunge batteries into the water, stunning fish so they can easily be collected. It is rapidly depleting fish stocks.
It has also been blamed for the death of several of the animals. The electric fishermen sometimes try to mimic the cooperative fishermen to get the dolphins to move fish towards the boat, and in some cases the dolphins get electrocuted, says Eshoo. “But the bigger issue is that electric fishing destroys the fish population, making it difficult for dolphins to find food,” he says.
“Dolphins have become wary of boats and fishermen and this is sad to see after so long,” says Eshoo. “We hope this initiative will help strengthen the bond between the fishermen and dolphins.”