Cambodia’s Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on February 27 approved the establishment of Irrawaddy dolphin conservation and protection zones to better protect the rare dolphins.
The zones cover a 120-km-long stretch of the Mekong River in northeastern provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie.
Fishing must be prohibited from the dolphin conservation and protection zones. Vessels must not be allowed to travel at the speed of more than 30 km per hour, while aquaculture is also banned there.
The move came after three adult dolphins were killed by longline fishing hooks within a week last December. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), freshwater dolphins Irrawaddy, also known as Mekong river dolphins, live in three major river systems and two lakes in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and India.
Freshwater dolphins have been on the “red list” of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2004.
Governor of Kratie province Var Thorn said that there are about 80 Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River’s section running through Cambodia and that the rare mammal are very attractive to local and international tourists./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency