Gharial discovery update – Second study finds more

December 2010. After Wildlife Extra published an item about the discovery of a new population of Gharials in India, we were contacted by Tanmoy Ghosh of Irebel Asia, who organised the expedition to search for the gharials, with details of a second expedition that he had recently completed.

Tanmoy writes:

After completing the first phase of our gharial search expedition in a 220-km stretch of the Hooghly, we received many reports of the presence of gharials in that stretch and also other locations in the river. Most importantly, we suspected that they are breeding in the Hooghly, so a more comprehensive and thorough search was needed to get a complete picture of the status of gharials throughout the river stretch from Farakka in the north to Tribeni in the south.

Mass awareness campaign - Avoid fishing net entanglement & collect data
As information about gharial sightings was coming from all over the stretch we were monitoring, we were confident of their presence, so for the second effort we focused on mass awareness campaigning, especially in fishing villages near the riverbanks. Because almost all recorded gharial deaths are due to accidental entanglement in fishing nets, we wanted to target and try to minimize this factor, as well address general ignorance about the gharial, as top priorities. Collecting gharial sighting data, locating new habitat areas, and creating a new base of local people who could give us field reports on gharials were our secondary priorities.

173 anecdotal reports of Gharial & 2 sightings
During our month-long second expedition in a 500km stretch of the Hooghly, and concurrent monitoring through our informer base, we collected 173 anecdotal reports of the presence of gharials and made two direct sightings. We campaigned at every ferry ghat and in almost every fishing village along the riverbanks, distributing leaflets, information brochures and posters. As a result, we are assured that local people have great interest in these animals and no intent to harm them. Our work shows that implementing new, gharial-safe fishing practices, as well as keeping up mass awareness efforts, are the key to ensuring that local people have the tools and knowledge to support the gharial's survival in the Hooghly.

Main threats

In our previous study, we noted that most of the gharials are dying in this range due to accidental entanglement in fishing nets and to general ignorance. So our first priority for this second study phase was to educate those living or working near the gharial habitat areas and most likely to be encountering or involved in the conflicts, especially members of the fishing communities. Our second priority was to locate new gharial habitats along the 500km stretch of the Hooghly.

We stopped at literally every ferry ghat, fishing community, and village along the 500-km stretch to spread the gharial conservation message. We targeted gathering places, such as fish markets, to maximize the number of people we reached. Overwhelmingly, everyone we spoke with was curious about the gharials and our study work and was eager to provide whatever information he had. A few individuals, especially those fishermen who had had direct encounters with gharials, were initially wary of involving themselves in our effort due to fear of possible enforcement actions by the Forest Department. Once we'd gained their confidence, they related stories of gharials swimming

Wildlife rich islandsWithin the study area we located several important habitat areas, including inaccessible islands, that are supporting thousands of migratory and resident birds; mammals, including smooth-coated otters, jackals, Bengal foxes, jungle cats, fishing cats, and dolphins; and reptiles such as terrapins and tortoises. We even received reports of a python on one island. These islands also appeared to be suitable gharial nesting sites.

Throughout the study area we gathered a total 173 reports of gharial sightings over the last 25 years. Reports from earlier in the period are less numerous, perhaps because there truly were fewer gharials or perhaps because witnesses had died, moved away, or were otherwise unavailable to us

Among the 173 gharials reported, 25 had died due to a number of causes - from entanglement in fishing nets to gunshot. A few of the deaths have no attributed cause. In several cases of reported fishing net entanglement, the fishermen disposed of the bodies in the river to avoid the threat of harassment from police.

Recommendations
Most of the time gharial deaths are due to fishing practices (including accidental entrapment in various fishing devices), so research and development of gharial- friendly fishing tools and practices is vitally important to save the species from extinction.

Vigorous mass awareness campaigning throughout the 500km stretch is urgently needed.

Fishing net compensation or insurance scheme should be developed as quickly as possible to save the gharial from intentional killing (fishermen often kill ensnared gharials in order to save their nets).

More detailed research is needed to identify gharials' breeding and places so they can be protected from human disturbances and appropriately managed long-term.

Alternative income sources for fishermen, such as controlled and responsible wildlife tourism should be developed for fishermen in the gharial-inhabited zone.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/gharial-india.html