Dolphins swim in Mekong River in Kratie province.(Photo: WWF) Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia’s Prime MinisterSamdech Techo Hun Sen on February 27 approved the establishment of Irrawaddydolphin conservation and protection zones to better protect the rare dolphins.
The zones cover a 120-km-long stretch of the Mekong River innortheastern provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie.
Fishing must be prohibited from the dolphin conservation andprotection zones. Vessels must not be allowed to travel at the speed of morethan 30 km per hour, while aquaculture is also banned there.
The move came after three adult dolphins were killed bylongline fishing hooks within a week last December. According to the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF), freshwater dolphins Irrawaddy, also known as Mekong riverdolphins, live in three major river systems and two lakes in Cambodia,Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and India.
Freshwater dolphins have been on the"red list" of threatened species by the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2004.
Governor of Kratie province Var Thorn said that there areabout 80 Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River’s section running throughCambodia and that the rare mammal are very attractive to local andinternational tourists./.
