Chilika Lake: The dolphin population has increased throughout Odisha’s coast and in its aquatic bodies, however, the number of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika Lake has decreased.
Months after conducting a census in various water bodies and off the coast of Odisha, the Principal Chief Conservator Forest (Wildlife) has supplied statistics on the number of dolphins, which has increased from 544 in 2021 to 726 in 2022, according to data collected by the State’s Wildlife Divisions.
Chilika Lake dolphin
The increase in the State’s dolphin population is mostly attributable to increased sightings in the Rajnagar jurisdiction’s Mangrove Wildlife Division, where 540 dolphins were counted in 2022, up from 342 in 2021. In one year, the number of bottlenose dolphins in Rajnagar climbed from 22 to 135 and the number of humpback dolphins increased from 281 to 332.
Irrawaddy, bottlenose, humpback, striped, finless, and spinner dolphins are among the six kinds of dolphins that have been discovered. The number of Irrawaddy dolphins at Chilika Lake, which is a key tourist attraction for its Irrawaddy dolphins, has dropped dramatically from 162 in 2021 to 151 this year.
The number of bottlenose dolphins in Chilika has similarly decreased, from 26 in 2021 to 16 in 2022. There were no dolphin sightings in the remaining four Wildlife Divisions: Puri, Berhampur, Bhadrak, and Balasore. There are now 208 Irrawaddy dolphins in Odisha.
The census for dolphins and other cetacean species covered practically the whole coast of Odisha, with estimating taking place within a one-kilometer radius of the sea beach using the line transect census method at a distance of 500 meters. Following that, the recording of dolphins seen on both sides of the line transect was finished. There were 48 census units set up along the shore in total.