(IN): Fish oil saviour for dolphins

July 13, 2007

Fish oil saviour for dolphins

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Dhubri

July 12: If it is a toss-up between saving dolphins and making some

money, the choice is obvious for the impoverished fishermen living on

Dhubri's north bank.

Dolphin oil is the most commonly used bait in fishing in Bihar and

Assam. Fishermen believe a dash of that oil ensures a good catch.

To break that myth and provide an alternative to dolphin oil as bait,

the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) — an

organisation that has been spearheading " save the dolphin " campaign in

Assam — sent four fishermen from the district to Patna Science College

to learn the procedure of whipping up another " winning bait oil " .

When the quartet returned home last week, they tried to explain to

their local friends that dolphin oil was not the only effective bait

for fishing.

Hundreds of fishermen gathered at Bahadurtari to watch the scientists

prepare the alternative oil from fish petu (viscera).

Lakhan Bin and Sudama Bin of Panchpeerchar said fishermen in the

district were now gradually switching to the eco-friendly alternative.

The oil has been developed by scientist and conservationist Prof. R.K.

Sinha and his team at Patna University.

Sinha has researched extensively on freshwater dolphins and is a

member of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the International Union for

Conservation of Nature.

Extracts from fish viscera are being extensively used by fishermen in

Bihar as an alternative to dolphin oil.

Dolphins are hunted primarily for their blubber, which is used as fish

bait in Assam and Bihar, C-NES sources said.

Only 268 dolphins now remain in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.

C-NES is currently working in three districts — Tinsukia, Kamrup and

Dhubri — to rein in dolphin hunters.

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