India tags river dolphin in historic first step towards conservation

India has successfully conducted the first-ever satellite tagging of its national aquatic animal, the river dolphin, in the Ganges yesterday.

"This is the first tagging, not only in India, but also for the species, and this milestone is a significant advancement of 'Project Dolphin'," an official statement said.

The tagging took place in Assam, where a healthy male river dolphin was tagged and released under veterinary care. The exercise aims to understand the dolphins' seasonal and migratory patterns, range, distribution, and habitat utilisation, especially in fragmented or disturbed river systems.

The lightweight tags emit signals compatible with Argos satellite systems, even with limited surfacing time (5 to 30 seconds at a time), and are designed to minimize interference with the dolphin's movement.

Nearly 90 percent of the river dolphin population resides in India, historically distributed across the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems. However, its distribution has drastically declined over the past century.

Plans are underway to extend the tagging initiative to other states inhabited by Ganges river dolphins to build a comprehensive understanding of their population dynamics and habitat needs.

The tagging initiative, supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), was implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and the NGO Aaranyak.

The Ganges river dolphin, unique in its ecology, is nearly blind and relies on echolocation for survival. Despite its wide distribution, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding the species, mainly due to its elusive behaviour. The dolphin surfaces only for 5-30 seconds at a time, making it difficult to understand its ecological needs and develop scientifically sound conservation strategies.

The "Project Dolphin" aims for comprehensive research across the species' range to create a conservation action plan and fill existing knowledge gaps for long-term species conservation.

As apex predators, Ganges river dolphins are umbrella species for river ecosystems. Ensuring their well-being is vital for the sustainability of the entire river ecosystem.

Director of the WII, Virendra R Tiwari, said, "Tagging river dolphins will contribute to evidence-based conservation strategies that are urgently needed for this species."