scholarly journals Characterization of artisanal fisheries in Nepal and potential implications for the conservation and management of Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shambhu Paudel ◽  
Juan C Levesque ◽  
Camilo Saavedra ◽  
Cristina Pita ◽  
Prabhat Pal
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Artisanal Fisheries ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
River Systems ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
Main River ◽  
Local Species ◽  
The Ganges

The Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) (GRD) is classified as one of the most endangered of all cetaceans in the world and the second scarcest freshwater cetacean. The population is estimated to be less than 2,000 individuals. In Nepal’s Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems, survival of GRD continues to be threatened by various anthropogenic activities, such as dam construction and interactions with artisanal fisheries. A basic description of the geographic scope, economics, and types of gear used in these fisheries would help managers understand the fishery-dolphin interaction conflict and assist with developing potential solutions to reduce interactions between GRD and local fisheries in Nepal. The main purpose of the study was to collect fishery and socio-economic information by conducting interviews with local fishermen in the Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems. Based on interviews (n = 163), 79 percent of Nepalese fishermen indicated fishing for local species (e.g., mullet [Rhinomugil corsula] or siloroid catfish [Bagarius bagarius]) was their primary form of income. Fishermen reported fishing effort was greater in summer than winter; greatest in the afternoon (1430 hrs ± 0.27) and during low water level conditions; and gear was set 4.8 ± 0.2 days/week. Fishermen reported using eight different types of monofilament nets (gillnets and cast nets). Sixty percent used gillnets less than 10 m long, and less than one third preferred gillnets between 10 and 100 m long; a few used gillnets longer than 100 m. Fishermen usually set their gear close to their village, and about 50 percent preferred to fish in tributaries followed by the main channel behind sandbars and islands, and the main channel near a bank. Fishermen reported seeing more GRD in the main river stem in winter. In summer, fishermen spotted more GRD in tributaries. Most fishermen told us they believed education, awareness, and changing occupations were important for GRD conservation, but they indicated that occupational options were currently limited in Nepal. Nepalese fishermen acknowledged that fisheries posed a risk to GRD, but they believed water pollution, and dam/irrigation development were the greatest threats.

scholarly journals Characterization of artisanal fisheries in Nepal and potential implications for the conservation and management of Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shambhu Paudel ◽  
Juan C Levesque ◽  
Camilo Saavedra ◽  
Cristina Pita ◽  
Prabhat Pal
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Artisanal Fisheries ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
River Systems ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
Main River ◽  
Local Species ◽  
The Ganges

The Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) (GRD) is classified as one of the most endangered of all cetaceans in the world and the second scarcest freshwater cetacean. The population is estimated to be less than 2,000 individuals. In Nepal’s Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems, survival of GRD continues to be threatened by various anthropogenic activities, such as dam construction and interactions with artisanal fisheries. A basic description of the geographic scope, economics, and types of gear used in these fisheries would help managers understand the fishery-dolphin interaction conflict and assist with developing potential solutions to reduce interactions between GRD and local fisheries in Nepal. The main purpose of the study was to collect fishery and socio-economic information by conducting interviews with local fishermen in the Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems. Based on interviews (n = 163), 79 percent of Nepalese fishermen indicated fishing for local species (e.g., mullet [Rhinomugil corsula] or siloroid catfish [Bagarius bagarius]) was their primary form of income. Fishermen reported fishing effort was greater in summer than winter; greatest in the afternoon (1430 hrs ± 0.27) and during low water level conditions; and gear was set 4.8 ± 0.2 days/week. Fishermen reported using eight different types of monofilament nets (gillnets and cast nets). Sixty percent used gillnets less than 10 m long, and less than one third preferred gillnets between 10 and 100 m long; a few used gillnets longer than 100 m. Fishermen usually set their gear close to their village, and about 50 percent preferred to fish in tributaries followed by the main channel behind sandbars and islands, and the main channel near a bank. Fishermen reported seeing more GRD in the main river stem in winter. In summer, fishermen spotted more GRD in tributaries. Most fishermen told us they believed education, awareness, and changing occupations were important for GRD conservation, but they indicated that occupational options were currently limited in Nepal. Nepalese fishermen acknowledged that fisheries posed a risk to GRD, but they believed water pollution, and dam/irrigation development were the greatest threats.

scholarly journals Characterization of the artisanal fishing communities in Nepal and potential implications for the conservation and management of Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shambhu Paudel ◽  
Juan C. Levesque ◽  
Camilo Saavedra ◽  
Cristina Pita ◽  
Prabhat Pal
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Fishing Communities ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Artisanal Fishing ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Primary Form

The Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) (GRD) is classified as one of the most endangered of all cetaceans in the world and the second scarcest freshwater cetacean. The population is estimated to be less than 2,000 individuals. In Nepal’s Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali river systems, survival of GRD continues to be threatened by various anthropogenic activities, such as dam construction and interactions with artisanal fisheries. A basic description of the geographic scope, economics, and types of gear used in these fisheries would help managers understand the fishery-dolphin interaction conflict and assist with developing potential solutions. The main goal was to provide new information on the artisanal fishing communities in Nepal. The specific objectives were to identify, compile, and investigate the demographics, economics, fishing characteristics, and perception of fishermen about GRD conservation in the Narayani, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali rivers so conservation managers can develop and implement a potential solution to the GRD-fishery interaction problem in Nepal. Based on 169 interviews, 79% of Nepalese fishermen indicated fishing was their primary form of income. Fishermen reported fishing effort was greater in summer than winter; greatest in the afternoon (14:30 hrs ± 0:27) and during low water level conditions; and gear was set 4.8 ± 0.2 days/week. Fishermen reported using eight different types of monofilament nets (gillnets and cast nets). Sixty percent used gillnets less than 10 m long, and nearly 30% preferred gillnets between 10 and 100 m long; a few used gillnets longer than 100 m. Most fishermen reported they believed education, awareness, and changing occupations were important for GRD conservation, but they indicated that alternative occupational options were currently limited in Nepal. Nepalese fishermen acknowledged that fisheries posed a risk to GRD, but they believed water pollution, and dam/irrigation developments were the greatest threats.

scholarly journals Status, distribution, threats, and conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Cetacea) in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 15106-15113
Author(s):  
Deep Narayan Shah ◽  
Amit Poudyal ◽  
Gopal Sharma ◽  
Sarah Levine ◽  
Naresh Subedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Survey ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
River System ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Distribution Range ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
River Systems ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
The Ganges

The Ganges River Dolphin Platanista  gangetica  has been classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  The IUCN changed its status from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’ in 1996 as the species population was declining in its entire distribution range.  It is, however, classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Nepal.  Historically, the freshwater cetacean has been documented in the Karnali, Koshi, Narayani, and Mahakali basins.  With their population and distribution range in decline, the Ganges River Dolphin (GRD) is no longer found in the Mahakali River system, which demarcates and traverses the Western border of India and Nepal.  This study examines the status and distribution of the GRD in the river systems of Nepal during the monsoon of 2016.  The national dolphin population survey was conducted in the three largest river basins in Nepal—Karnali, Narayani, and Koshi.  Each of the three basins represent the extreme upstream limit of the GRD distribution in Ganges River basin.  The national population survey included both a boat-based survey and shore-based synchronized counting in each of the three river systems.  Fifty-two (Best-High-Low: 52-61-50) dolphins were counted during the entire nationwide survey, conducted in July–August, 2016.  Researchers gathered social-data from locals residing alongside the observed basin, giving priority to artisanal fishers and those subsisting to some degree from the rivers known to host the river dolphin.  A questionnaire survey of ninety-two residents from riparian villages adjacent to the GRD hotspots sheds light on the local perspectives towards dolphin conservation coupled with an assessment of their socio-economic status; artisanal fishing practices; and their awareness of dolphin conservation.  According to the survey, notable threats to dolphin conservation are prey depletion; non-availability of suitable habitat; habitat fragmentation and a low level of awareness.  Based on the counting outcomes and social survey, recommendations have been put forward for the conservation of this species. 

scholarly journals A Note on “Metal Distribution and Short-Time Variability in Recent Sediments from the Ganges River towards the Bay of Bengal (India)” by Bonnail et al. (2019)

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ayaz Alam
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
National Capital Region ◽  
National Capital ◽  
Recent Sediments ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Ganges

A careful reading of Bonnail et al. (2019)’s work points out some issues in the description of the Ganges River, e.g., describing it in a way that gives impression to the readers unfamiliar with the Indian rivers that it flows by the national capital New Delhi, after reading “it receives inputs from highly populated cities of India, including New Delhi and …”. However, as a matter of fact, it is not the Ganges, but the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges, that passes through the National Capital Region of Delhi. Moreover, authors identify the studied river as the Ganges, whereas it is one of the distributaries of the Ganges called Hooghly (anglicized version of its local name Hugli). They have referred to the seasonality of the studied river; however, the flow of the studied (Hooghly) river is controlled by a barrage on the Ganges River. Moreover, Hooghly River receives input from its own tributaries; viz., Mayurakshi and Damodar, flowing through highly mineralized and coaliferous areas of Jharkhand state of India. Bonnail et al. (2019) have attributed the contamination of the river sediments to anthropogenic activities alone, by not evaluating likely natural sources. A correction factor for the underestimated total organic carbon (TOC) content obtained using Walkley-Black method should have been applied before using TOC values for factor analysis to overcome the underestimation issue with this method. This work intends to serve as a compendium, rather than a critique, to otherwise commendable work by Bonnail et al. (2019).

scholarly journals Status of the Ganges river dolphin or shushuk Platanista gangetica in Kaptai Lake and the southern rivers of Bangladesh

Oryx ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (01) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Smith ◽  
Benazir Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Edrise Ali ◽  
Gill Braulik
Keyword(s):  
Ganges River ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
The Ganges

scholarly journals MRI Examination of Trachea and Bronchi in the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica).

1999 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 1137-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideki ENDO ◽  
Daishiro YAMAGIWA ◽  
Kazuyoshi ARISHIMA ◽  
Masako YAMAMOTO ◽  
Motoki SASAKI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ganges River ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
Mri Examination ◽  
The Ganges ◽  
Trachea And Bronchi

Pneumonia in endangered aquatic mammals and the need for developing low-coverage vaccination for their management and conservation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ghulam Nabi ◽  
Richard W. McLaughlin ◽  
Suliman Khan ◽  
Yujiang Hao ◽  
Ming Xian Chang
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Cellular Systems ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
Low Coverage ◽  
Mass Mortalities ◽  
Aquatic Mammals

Abstract Anthropogenic activities can lead to several devastating effects on the environment. The pollutants, which include the discharge of effluents, runoffs in the form of different lethal and sub-lethal concentrations of pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants, can harm exposed fauna and flora. The aquatic environment is the ultimate destination for many pollutants which negatively affect aquatic biodiversity and even can cause a species to become extinct. A pollutant can directly affect the behavior of an animal, disrupt cellular systems, and impair the immune system. This harm can be reduced and even mitigated by adopting proper approaches for the conservation of the target biota. Among aquatic organisms, cetaceans, such as the Yangtze finless porpoise, Irrawaddy dolphin, Ganges River dolphin, Amazon River dolphin, and Indus River dolphin, are at a higher risk of extinction because of lack of knowledge and research, and thus insufficient information with respect to their conservation status, management, and policies. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mass mortalities of cetaceans. This article reviews the limited research reported on stress and pneumonia induced by pollution, stress-induced pneumonia and immunosuppression, pneumonia-caused mass mortalities of aquatic mammals, and vaccination in wildlife with a specific focus on aquatic mammals, the role of genomics in vaccine development and vaccination, and the major challenges in vaccine development for biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals Development of seasonal flow outlook model for Ganges-Brahmaputra Basins in Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sazzad Hossain ◽  
Raihanul Haque Khan ◽  
Dilip Kumar Gautum ◽  
Ripon Karmaker ◽  
Amirul Hossain
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Brahmaputra River ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Temperature Forecast ◽  
Main River ◽  
Seasonal Flow ◽  
Forecasting And Warning ◽  
The Ganges

Abstract. Bangladesh is crisscrossed by the branches and tributaries of three main river systems, the Ganges, Bramaputra and Meghna (GBM). The temporal variation of water availability of those rivers has an impact on the different water usages such as irrigation, urban water supply, hydropower generation, navigation etc. Thus, seasonal flow outlook can play important role in various aspects of water management. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) in Bangladesh provides short term and medium term flood forecast, and there is a wide demand from end-users about seasonal flow outlook for agricultural purposes. The objective of this study is to develop a seasonal flow outlook model in Bangladesh based on rainfall forecast. It uses European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) seasonal precipitation, temperature forecast to simulate HYDROMAD hydrological model. Present study is limited for Ganges and Brahmaputra River Basins. ARIMA correction is applied to correct the model error. The performance of the model is evaluated using coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE). The model result shows good performance with R2 value of 0.78 and NSE of 0.61 for the Brahmaputra River Basin, and R2 value of 0.72 and NSE of 0.59 for the Ganges River Basin for the period of May to July 2015. The result of the study indicates strong potential to make seasonal outlook to be operationalized.

scholarly journals On the evidence of the Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris (Owen, 1866) (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla: Delphinidae) in the Hooghly River, West Bengal, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 15905-15908
Author(s):  
Gargi Roy Chowdhury ◽  
Kanad Roy ◽  
Naman Goyal ◽  
Ashwin Warudkar ◽  
Rashid Hassnain Raza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
Intensive Monitoring ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
Irrawaddy Dolphin ◽  
The Ganges

We report the presence and status of the Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris in the Hooghly River of West Bengal, India.  These observations were made while conducting our field work on the Ganges River Dolphin, which involved vessel-based surveys as well as intensive monitoring from an anchored boat.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document