State Forest Department to Conduct Study on endangered Gangetic dolphins
The Statesman | 10 August 2025
A group of fishermen set out to catch hilsa during the peak monsoon season in the Bhagirathi River at Shadipur in Jamalpur, East Burdwan district, but instead found a Ganges river dolphin caught in their net.
The Ganges river dolphin is recognised by the central government as India’s national aquatic animal.
Prashanta Pakar, a professional fisherman from Jamalpur, who caught the 50–55 kg Gangetic dolphin, said they released it back into the middle of the river after it became entangled in their fishing net.
In 2024, after a gap of about two decades, hilsa weighing around one kilogram had been caught here, giving the fishermen hope that they would again land the prized “silver crop” this year. Instead, they found themselves with an endangered Gangetic dolphin in their net.
Ganesh Choudhury, a Gangetic dolphin expert from the Katwa area, said that fish form the main diet of these dolphins and, due to a shortage of fish in the Ganga, they are entering other rivers and lakes.
“In the Ajay and Bhagirathi rivers of Katwa, there are around 45–48 Gangetic dolphins, and they are regularly caught in fishermen’s nets. While some are released alive, a few die after being trapped,” he added.
Internationally acclaimed swimmer and national award-winner Sayani Das of Kalna had earlier posted a picture of herself swimming in the Ganga alongside a dolphin.
On World Wildlife Day this year, the Union minister of environment, forest and climate change released India’s first-ever census figures for the Gangetic dolphin population. The survey recorded 6,327 dolphins in the Ganga and its tributaries.
Of these, three were identified as Indus river dolphins and 6,224 as Gangetic river dolphins. The count showed 3,275 in the main Ganga and 2,414 in its tributaries.
The census began in 2021, covering about 8,507 km of waterways. The highest numbers were recorded in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally released the Indian Gangetic Dolphin Census Report 2025 during a meeting of the National Board for Wildlife in Gujarat.
“In 2004, West Bengal alone had about 4,000 Gangetic dolphins, but over the decades, due to food scarcity, pollution, and fishing activities, the number has dropped below one thousand,” said Ganesh Choudhury.
The Ganges river dolphin has been listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List since 1996.
A long stretch of the Ganges between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon in Bihar has been declared the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary – the country’s first protected area for the species.
About a month ago, the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Union MoEFCC jointly took steps to install sensors in cruise ships and other passenger and cargo vessels to protect Gangetic dolphins from propeller strikes. The West Bengal Forest Department has been tasked with conducting a study and submitting a report on the matter.
This initiative comes at a time when the world’s longest river cruise, connecting India and Bangladesh and passing through several states, has already begun operating on the Ganga for tourism purposes.