Wild Irrawaddy Dolphin Conservation

Irrawaddy dolphins are freshwater and coastal cetaceans facing critical population declines across Southeast Asia. Gill net entanglement, habitat degradation, and vessel strikes are leading causes of individual dolphin suffering and death.

Key Facts

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin population numbers fewer than 100 individuals, critically endangered
Irrawaddy dolphins cooperate with traditional fishermen in the Ayeyarwady River to herd fish - a unique mutualistic relationship
Gill net entanglement is the leading cause of dolphin mortality across their range
Electrofishing, which is illegal but widespread, kills dolphins with electric current used to stun fish
The Irrawaddy is the only river dolphin species that inhabits freshwater, estuarine, and coastal marine environments

Welfare Considerations

Gill net entanglement causes drowning in air-breathing dolphins - an acutely distressing death. Electrofishing kills dolphins indiscriminately and often leaves injured animals that die slowly. Individual Irrawaddy dolphins in small, isolated river populations experience the compounding welfare harms of habitat degradation, prey depletion, and direct mortality risks. The cooperative fishing relationship between dolphins and traditional fishers in Myanmar provides both welfare and conservation benefits - dolphins are protected by their human partners. Supporting these traditional fishing communities may be one of the most effective welfare interventions available.

What You Can Do

Support organizations working to ban electrofishing in Irrawaddy dolphin river habitats
Donate to population monitoring programs tracking individual Irrawaddy dolphins by fin ID
Advocate for gill net restrictions in critical dolphin habitats in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos
Choose travel experiences in dolphin range countries that support community-based conservation