Project Title
Assessing the status of humpback dolphins and finless porpoises in a marine biodiversity hotspot off the west coast of India
Project Grantee
Isha Bopardikar (M.Sc Project Student, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati)
Q & A with the Grantee
1) How will estimating the population density of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin and Indo-Pacific finless porpoises in the project area help to conserve the species and their habitat?
Humpback dolphins and finless porpoises are commonly found along the Sindhudurg coastline. Both species are non-migratory, and their preferred inshore habitat overlaps extensively with human activities, making them vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures (e.g., habitat degradation, resource competition, accidental mortalities due to vessel strikes, and by-catch). Such concerns make it critical to formulate immediate measures to mitigate anthropogenic impacts. However, before developing long-lasting conservation measures, we require efficient assessment of population trends and potential threats for any species. With our study we gathered information on distribution, abundance, and habitat use of the two species to help inform long-term data driven conservation plans.
2) What was the one watershed moment in the course of the project for you?
For a few days during the survey, we did not visually detect a single finless porpoise group throughout the track line. However, when we scanned the acoustic data it projected several detections. Overall, we have found that acoustic detections for finless porpoise groups are almost double the visual sightings. This is an exciting confirmation that such non-traditional survey methods work extremely well for cryptic species. We also observed a stark difference between our visual vs. acoustic estimates for group sizes (individual animals in a group). Using the acoustic data, we can even track and estimate the number of individuals in a detected group. We observed that for finless porpoises, there were usually more individual animals than those estimated visually.
3) How crucial is it to involve local stakeholders in the conservation of these species?
Involvement and support of the local community is critical towards the success of every conservation initiative. Any attempt to minimise anthropogenic impact on cetaceans directly involves the local fishing community, making it important to consider their views and suggestions in potential conservation plans. Locals from coastal communities spend a vast amount of time at sea and have tremendous knowledge about their surrounding environment. Our stakeholders include fishermen and tourism operators who are now part of a community-based cetacean monitoring network. Most of the fishers and tour operators have shown interest in cetaceans during our outreach workshops and regularly report sightings and strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises via phone calls, and images and videos on social media. These data can be found on the Marine Mammals of India database.
Images courtesy: Isha Bopardikar