KUCHING: The habitats of four dolphin species which frequent several coastal areas in Sarawak could be vulnerable to human activities, a year-long study has found.
The Sarawak Dolphin Project, jointly conducted by Sarawak Shell Bhd, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), recorded sightings of the Irrawaddy dolphin, finless porpoise, bottlenose dolphin and humpback dolphin in coastal waters off Kuching, Bintulu and Miri.
It found that the four species preferred nearshore habitats in waters of less than 10m deep, and that these areas close to shore were important for feeding and breeding.
“This makes them vulnerable to human activities near coastal areas.
“The Irrawaddy dolphin especially has leanings towards habitats near the shoreline, making it more susceptible to threats such as being accidentally entangled in fishing nets,” SFC managing director and chief executive Datuk Len Talif Salleh said at the official closing of the project here on Monday.
As such, he said SFC would take appropriate action based on the study’s findings to protect the dolphin habitats and feeding grounds.
The Sarawak Dolphin Project, jointly conducted by Sarawak Shell Bhd, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), recorded sightings of the Irrawaddy dolphin, finless porpoise, bottlenose dolphin and humpback dolphin in coastal waters off Kuching, Bintulu and Miri.
It found that the four species preferred nearshore habitats in waters of less than 10m deep, and that these areas close to shore were important for feeding and breeding.
“This makes them vulnerable to human activities near coastal areas.
“The Irrawaddy dolphin especially has leanings towards habitats near the shoreline, making it more susceptible to threats such as being accidentally entangled in fishing nets,” SFC managing director and chief executive Datuk Len Talif Salleh said at the official closing of the project here on Monday.
As such, he said SFC would take appropriate action based on the study’s findings to protect the dolphin habitats and feeding grounds.
Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Sarawak Dolphin Project
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