Nets kill off Irrawaddy dolphins

At least 68 critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins have been killed by fishing gear in Songkhla Lake over the past 15 years, according to the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

These casualties have seen the population of this rare dolphin species in the lake plunge to 25 from almost 100 in 2003, according to Pinsak Suraswadi, the DNP's deputy chief.

Mr Pinsak visited Songkhla Lake on Tuesday to monitor the situation. The lake is the largest in the country, covering 650,000 rai, and is located in three provinces -- Songkhla, Phatthalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

It is also the largest habitat for Irrawaddy dolphins in Thailand. The species is listed as critically endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

Some populations are close to extinction such as the those in the Mekong River and Malampaya Sound in the Philippines.

Over the past decade, the DNP has attempted to step up conservation efforts, but without much success, admitted Mr Pinsak.

"These dolphins have not been targeted by trawlers," he said.

"They died from being caught and trapped in gill nets local fishermen place in the lake to catch pricey catfish."

Mr Pinsak said the department will expand the no-fishing zone in the lake from 400 rai to 3,000 rai to create a larger, safer habitat for the dolphins. It will also make the adjacent 8,000 rai a controlled zone where fishermen will be monitored and harsh penalties for using destructive fishing gear.

Another Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead on Tuesday morning on Hat Sai Kaew Beach in Tha Sala district of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Local residents believed it must have become trapped in a fishing boat's push net.