Thai officials are worried about the low number of dolphins of a particular breed in Thailand. Despite campaigns in past years to preserve Irrawaddy dolphins, only 14 of them were found in Songkhla Lake, and 89 in the Mekong River, according to a 2020 survey.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that dolphins often die when they get caught in fishing nets. He said in 2014, there was a campaign to offer buy the nets from the fishermen, using funds from different organisations. He said the campaign appeared to work for some time, as fewer dolphins were found caught in nets. But in recent years, the campaign seems to have stopped being affective.
“Between 2020 and last year, at least two Irrawaddy dolphins were found dead in a huge fishing net after some fishermen used it to catch giant catfish in Songkhla Lake.”
Varawut said that now that the number…
