Our colleagues in Borneo have come up with an amazing solution to prevent endangered river dolphins in Borneo from getting stuck in fishing nets: electronic ‘pingers’. Attached to fishing nets, these devices emit a warning sound that stops the dolphins from approaching too closely – and a recent trial in Indonesia proved hugely successful.
During the six-month trial on the Mahakam river in Borneo, accidental catching of dolphins was reduced to zero, and local fishers reported that the dolphins were no longer approaching their nets. Although pingers have been used successfully to deter dolphins, porpoises and whales in marine fisheries, this was the first time they’d been properly tested for river dolphins.
Just 80 Irrawaddy river dolphins remain in the Mahakam river. Accidental entanglement in fishing nets is the primary cause of death, responsible for two-thirds of dolphin deaths in the river over the past 25 years.
It’s a similar story in many other rivers across Asia, including the Indus, Ganges, Irrawaddy and Mekong. And with all six river dolphin species globally facing the threat of extinction, stopping these accidental deaths is critically important.
“Pingers exceeded our expectations – they are clearly driving river dolphins away from these dangerous nets,” says Danielle Kreb, from Yayasan Konservasi RASI, our partner in Indonesia that led the study. “This is a major boost to efforts to save this tiny population, as well as others in Asia and South America.”
© JÜRGEN FREUND / WWF
WWF supporters responded to our crowdfunding campaign which, by November 2021, had raised enough money to fit pingers on all fishing nets in the stretch of the Mahakam river where dolphins still live.
It’s not just the dolphins that stand to benefit: the pingers are good news for local fishers too. During the study period, the 40 monitored fishers increased their average catch by over 40% and caught larger fish as the dolphins kept their distance. As well as preventing death or distress to the dolphins, avoiding entanglements also means fishers don’t have to pay for costly repairs to their nets.
Daphne Willems, who leads WWF’s global work on river dolphins, wants to see pingers used to protect other endangered river dolphins. “Pingers work!” she says. “It’s incredible that these small devices have the power to make such a difference to both dolphins and fishers. Now we need help getting more onto nets rivers where dolphins are found.”
With your support, we can prevent more river dolphins from getting caught in nets, as well as addressing the other threats they face – including pollution, unsustainable fishing and hydropower dams.
Find out more
For more information on river dolphins and the solutions to better protect them, visit the River Dolphins website.
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