Amazon river dolphins are under threat from fishing and proposed new dams and dredging, research shows.
Amazon river dolphins are under threat from fishing and proposed new dams and dredging, research shows.
Scientists used satellite tags to track eight dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon, to discover where they went in relation to fishing areas and proposed dams and dredging sites.
On average, 89% of the dolphins’ home “range” (the area they live in) was used for fishing.
Dolphins were found to be an average of 252km from the nearest proposed dam and 125km from the nearest proposed dredging site.
While these are significant distances, the dolphins’ ranges spanned over 50km on average, and dams and dredging can affect large stretches of river habitats.
Additionally, many Amazon river dolphins – already an endangered species – live closer to the proposed sites than the seven males and one female tagged in this study.
The research was carried out by the University of Exeter and Peruvian conservation organisation Pro Delphinus.
Read more at University Of Exeter
Image Credit: Jose Luis Mena
