The Fisheries Department has set up the new zone as a response to the deaths of two of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins over the past couple of months. Both creatures beached on the sides of the river with injuries looking as though they had been caused by propellers from boats.
The new zone adds to a previous one established in 2005. This one is around 70kms long and runs between Kyaukmyaung and Mingun. As news reporters in Myanmar have noted, a long chunk of the Irrawaddy between the two protection precincts is not protected.
An estimation of the Irrawaddy dolphin population in northern Myanmar by the Fisheries Department shows it has declined by about one quarter in the last six years. Only 65 of the 86 counted in 2012 are still alive.
12GO ASIA says the Fisheries Department has already started working with relevant agencies to formulate a plan of action to protect the dolphins. One of the proposals put forward is to encourage local villagers to set up eco-tourism ventures.
Myanmar expands Irrawaddy River dolphin safety areas
News in Asia
The National Fisheries Department of Myanmar has designated an additional stretch of the Irrawaddy River as a protected zone for dolphins. The added part of the river is 120kms long and flows between Sagaing and Shwegu in Kachin State.