The maiden census of dolphins carried out by wildlife and forest officials in coastal ecosystems and shorelines has come up with surprising numbers and has put the head count at 432. The enumeration of the aquatic mammal on the Ganjam coast, which is well-known for the mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley turtles, has surprised the surveyors as 24 dolphins of two different species were spotted in the first ever survey in the coastlines stretching across 54 km.
According to Brahmapur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, four teams led by Dr Pratyush and four researchers, conducted the survey from Prayagi on the Ganjam coast to the Aanantaraypur coastline bordering Andhra Pradesh. They ventured 1 km into the sea and found as many as 24 dolphins in these areas.
The census conducted in the areas other than the Chilika lagoon has sprung a surprise for officials and researchers. The sighting of the dolphins in the Ganjam coast is good news and is likely to attract more visitors to this area. Surprisingly, the enumerators did not spot any dolphin on the Puri coastline. However, 124 dolphins were sighted in the Chilika lagoon, 280 in the Bhitarkanika ecosystem, one in Baleswar and three in Bhadrak.
The survey was conducted on the basis of the line transect method, which is followed across the world to count the population of aquatic mammals, an official said. Meanwhile, coastal vigilance has been stepped up in view of the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles listed under Schedule 1 of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
During the last week of February and early March every year, millions of turtles climb up to the shore and lay eggs by digging pits at the river Rushikulya mouth, known as the second largest mass nesting site for the Olive Ridley turtles after Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district.