Since late 2018, researchers have confirmed the presence of three species of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mottama’s coastal waters: Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). The ongoing research is conducted by The Myanmar Coastal Conservation Lab (MCCL), at Point B Design + Training at Mawlamyine University with advice from international marine mammal experts.
Marine Mammal
Marine Mammal
Since late 2018, researchers have confirmed the presence of three species of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mottama’s coastal waters: Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). The ongoing research is conducted by the Myanmar Coastal Conservation Lab (MCCL) at Point B Design + Training at Mawlamyine University with advice from international marine mammal experts.
The total number of individuals of each species living in this area was unknown to the research team, which required further studies. The declining population of species was killed by bycatch. However, no research document has shown how many mammals were caught in the fishing net each year.
kEY HighlightS
Three species of marine mammals are found in the Gulf of Mottama's Coastal Waters: the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). However, the number of these individual species is facing threat as the population is decreasing day by day due to bycatch and illegal fishing.
Photo © Win Khine - Kawa communities were releasing the wounded dolphin back to the sea.
Additional Resources
This research brief is based on a summary of integrated approachs for Marine Mammal Conservation and Reserch in...