The Maharashtra government is all set to embark upon an 18-month-long study to assess the distribution, population size, and habitat quality of coastal cetaceans primarily the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin and Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, as well as possibly document other cetacean species found within 10 kilometers of Mumbai’s shore.
This is the first time an official assessment of this magnitude will occur in Maharashtra along the coastal waters of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) covering an approximate length (north-south) of 70 km.
Commencing in October 2022, the Mangrove Foundation will carry out the study in partnership with the non-profit organisation Coastal Conservation Foundation (CCF).
The study area will cover the western seaboard starting at the mouth of the Vaitarna river in the north to the Thane creek in the south as well as the southern tip of Greater Mumbai. The area will also include multiple bays such as Back Bay, Haji Ali and Mahim Bay as well as five river mouths in MMR including Mithi, Dahisar, Poisar, Oshiwara and Vaitarna, which represents the habitat preferred by the two focal species - dolphins and porpoises.
The decision was taken on Tuesday after Maharashtra’s Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar approved the proposal tabled by the Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation during its 5th Meeting of the Board of Governors at Sahyadri State Guest House in Malabar Hill, chaired by the Forest Minister.
The Maharashtra Mangrove Cell and Mangrove Foundation have commissioned a number of projects regarding the scientific study of near-shore cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) in some coastal regions of Maharashtra. In June this year, preliminary research carried out by the CCF, determined the population and habitat usage of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins in the Backbay region of south Mumbai with 27 confirmed sightings (of dolphins) of which the largest group comprised six individuals.
In parallel to Tuesday’s decision, the Mangrove Cell has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for the study of near-shore cetaceans along the coastline of the MMR as part of Project Dolphin. This proposal’s budget is Rs. 33.16 lakh.
“It is a matter of pride for the entire country that Maharashtra has decided to undertake such a unique study to document the wealth of its biodiversity. It echoes the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on 15 August 2020, on Project Dolphin that focuses on the long-term conservation and protection of dolphins in rivers and in oceans of the country,” said Mungantiwar.