PHNOM PENH, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A twenty-year-old Mekong river dolphin was found dead on Friday morning in Kratie province in Cambodian's north-eastern part, a government official said Friday.
The two hundred and forty kilogram female dolphin was caught in a gill-net and drowned, Touch Seang Tana, chairman of Cambodia's Commission for Conversation and Development of the Mekong River Dolphins Eco- tourism Zone, told Xinhua by telephone.
It had 2.3 meters long, he added.
“So far this year, three dolphins had been killed by fishing nets,” he said. “We have constantly educated locals about the advantages, but few fishermen still ignore it and deploy nets at night.”
Last year, 4 dolphins were killed by fishing nets, while 7 newborn dolphin babies were found, he said.
Touch Seang Tana estimated that the total population of Mekong dolphins in the north-eastern provinces of Kratie and Stung Treng is between 155 and 177 now, up from just 100 in 2006.
The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin has been listed as critically endangered on the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species since 2004. (Nguon Sovan)
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