Dolphin Conservation and Marine Biodiversity in Gujarat

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Gujarat recently recorded more than 680 dolphins along its 4,087-km coastline. This survey highlights the growing importance of the state in marine biodiversity conservation.

The latest marine survey covered major coastal areas of Gujarat. The Gulf of Kutch has emerged as a key dolphin habitat.
Dolphins were recorded across the Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuary, the southern and northern Gulf of Kutch, and coastal areas of Bhavnagar and Morbi. This shows a wide distribution along the coast of Gujarat.

Gujarat marine waters commonly host Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins and Bottlenose Dolphins.
The Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin is mostly grey in colour with a small triangular dorsal fin. These animals are opportunistic feeders that eat fish such as mackerel, mullet, and sardines.
The Bottlenose Dolphin has a robust body, a short and thick snout called a rostrum, grey colouration, and a lighter underside. These dolphins are known for their intelligence, social behaviour, and use of sound for communication and hunting, feeding on fish, squid, and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps by swallowing prey whole.

The Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin is found along the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean, stretching from South Africa along the East African coast, through the Middle East, and down the west coast of India. It usually lives in shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and nearshore marine habitats.
Bottlenose Dolphins live in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters across the world. They inhabit coastal waters, estuaries, bays, gulfs, and open oceans, and are commonly seen in harbours, lagoons, estuaries, continental shelf waters, and nearshore marine zones.

The Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin is categorised as Endangered by the IUCN, while the Common Bottlenose Dolphin is listed as Least Concern and the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin is listed as Near Threatened.
These dolphins receive strict legal protection in India under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Regarding international trade regulations, the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin is listed in Appendix I of CITES, and Bottlenose Dolphins are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

Major threats to the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin include pollution, habitat degradation, vessel traffic, underwater noise, and accidental entanglement in fishing nets.
Threats to Bottlenose Dolphins include bycatch, pollution, habitat degradation, vessel strikes, underwater noise, tourism pressure, and prey depletion.