Sound of Safety: Testing Pingers for River Dolphins and Fishers
We’re working with WWF-India and WWF-Pakistan to protect river dolphins while improving livelihoods for local fishing communities.
Project overview
Project overview
In India and Pakistan, hundreds of endangered river dolphins die annually as bycatch (getting accidentally entangled in fishing nets and drowning). This also damages the nets, resulting in lost fish catch and therefore lost income for fishers. With support and funding from the Darwin Initiative, WWF are trialling an innovative solution called a ‘pinger’. A pinger is an acoustic device which is attached to nets and emits an electronic ‘ping’, helping to keep the river dolphins at a safe distance to avoid entanglement. Building on an initial study of Irrawaddy dolphins in Indonesia, our project is assessing whether this solution will work for the Indus river dolphin in Pakistan and the Ganges river dolphin in India.
Building on ‘Mitras’ or ‘Friends of the River’ in India, and adapted to the local cultural context in Pakistan, a diverse group of motivated volunteers will be trained in citizen-science methods to help record the fish catch (weight), species composition, fish size, and any net damage caused by dolphins.
“These structured records will be extremely valuable to base sustainable fisheries regulations on. Our hope is to demonstrate an increase in catch for fishers, while reducing dolphin bycatch.” - Leanne Quille, Senior Programme Advisor at WWF-UK.
Why we are doing it
Why we are doing it
River dolphins are extraordinary. They are the top predators in some of the world’s greatest river systems and they function as a key indicator species for the health of those rivers. Where freshwater dolphin populations are thriving, it is likely that the overall river system is flourishing also, providing the critical natural resources for countless other wildlife species and the riverine communities whose livelihoods depend on them. But river dolphins are only just holding on. They are faced with a barrage of threats, all 6 species are classified as either Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Dams, fishing, and pollution threaten their existence. We need to act now to save these important creatures.
Project impact
Project impact
Our project aims to support the long-term coexistence of healthy river dolphin populations and thriving riverine communities, by testing the effectiveness of pingers as a solution to avoid bycatch and demonstrating a successful model for local river dolphin stewardship.
After completing the first year of our pinger project, we invited colleagues from WWF India and WWF Pakistan to share their learnings at World Water Week August 2023, addressing the theme of ‘Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World.’ Moderated by WWF’s River Dolphin Rivers Initiative Lead Daphne Willems and featuring insights from key collaborators at Reckitt, The Engro Foundation, Fishtek Marine, Yayasan Konservasi RASI, Wildlife Institute India and the Government of West Bengal. We’re delighted to share our session ‘Sound of Safety: Innovative Technology for Food Security and River Dolphins.’
