Now, Dolphin Census Will Be done every three years

Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of river ecosystems. Just as a tiger is considered an indicator of a good forest, river dolphins are indicators of a healthy river and act as an umbrella species of the river ecosystem. There are currently two species of river dolphins inhabiting India, the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and the Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor). While no exact count is available, various estimates suggest that the Gangetic dolphin population in India could be about 2,500-3,000. However, government records show that the recent most estimation of the Ganges river basin, along with its tributaries, stands at 2,644 and in the Brahmaputra , along with its tributaries, stands at 987. In India, these dolphins are sighted in long deep river reaches in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. From this year, India would embark on a scientific enumeration of dolphins - to be carried out every three years like the tiger census - across Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra basins together to ascertain the exact number for the national aquatic animal. The 'Project Dolphin' aims to give a stronger impetus for conservation of the aquatic mammals in the lines of 'Project Tiger' and 'Project Elephant. The pan-India enumeration, part of the wider "Project Dolphin", will be starting with workshops in November with fieldwork aimed to be completed by March next year and the report expected by June-July 2022. This will start with river dolphins.