Dolphins of Sarawak

Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins in Sarawak

2009-04-02T15:33:00.007+08:00

The wet season is now pretty much over and the dolphin watching season has begun. Whilst the most commonly sighted species found near Kuching is the Irrawaddy dolphin there seem to be more and more sightings of finless porpoises. I guess this has something to do with the fact there are more boats going out dolphin watching and more people are aware that dolphins are found near Kuching.

Another species that is occasionally spotted in the waters near Kuching is the Indo-pacific humpback dolphin. I haven’t had much luck with this species over the years and have only spotted them a couple of times near Santubong but they were way off in the distance. Others have had better luck. James, who spends most of his time exploring caves in Bau and Serian and running his Kuching Caving tour outfit, took the above photo last year. And James’ friend George has posted some excellent photos of Indo-pacific humpback dolphins taken at both Bako and Santubong on his website.

Sarawak Dolphin Project Website

2009-04-02T15:31:00.002+08:00

The Sarawak Dolphin Project now has a website at www.ibec.unimas.my/SDP2008/index.htm

The research project was launched in May 2008 and has three main survey areas - Kuching, Miri and Similajau. Up to November 2008, 21 days of boat surveys and 1,945 kms had been covered with 56 dolphin sightings. If you want to know what has been done and what is planned, download the half yearly report from the website. It provides some useful information about the project activities, including sightings and survey areas

6,000 Irrawaddy Dolphins Discovered in Bangladesh

2009-04-02T13:55:00.002+08:00

A couple of years ago I blogged about the low numbers of Irrawaddy dolphins found at locations around the region, 77 in the Malampaya Sound, 70 in the Mahakam River, less than 50 in Songkla Lake, etc. Depressing reading. Well, now for some good news. Researchers at WCS have ‘found’ 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins living in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh. Previously it was believed that the population was around 450. The new population estimate is based on the results of recent surveys and research in the mangrove regions of the Sundarbans and nearby waters in the Bay of Bengal.

UK Guardian reports on it here. Instead of the usual doom and gloom environmental news it’s nice to read some happy news and some encouraging quotes and positive vibes from the conservationists involved. Mind you I had to laugh at one quote from the director of science for the WDCS - “to find 6,000 isn’t huge – but it’s significant”. Come on, finding 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins is a huge deal.

Irrawaddy III and Finless Porpoises off Santubong

2008-05-22T15:42:00.010+08:00

Last year CPH Travel purchased a new boat, the Irrawaddy III. It is a spacious vessel equipped with twin 250 hp, 4 stroke engines. This makes it ideal for trips offshore and great for wildlife watching trips as the engines are a lot quieter than the 2 stroke engines that other local tour operators use. CPH use the boat for dive groups, deep sea fishing trips and wildlife tours. I’ve been meaning to go out on this fantastic boat for a while.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to take a trip on Irrawaddy III. The purpose of the trip was to look for dolphins in the Bako-Buntal Bay and a few offshore areas where the fishermen from Buntal often see dolphins. Jamadi, CPH’s boatman and keen eyed dolphin spotter, and Oscar from CPH joined our group.

We left the Santubong Jetty at 9 am and in no time at all arrived at the Bako-Buntal bay. Conditions were perfect for dolphin spotting with a calm sea, good visibility and a perfect blue sky above. After cruising around the Bako-Buntal Bay we headed out to the deeper waters offshore from Pulau Lakei and then backtracked to the fishing grounds and shipwrecks north of Tanjung Sipang. Despite the perfect conditions we did not see any dolphins. We were hoping to spot some bottlenose dolphins but it wasn’t to be. So we headed towards Satang Island and then on to Pulau Tukong Ara or bird rock to view the terns and hopefully spot some pacific reef egrets.

After a short while at bird rock we then headed towards the Santubong estuary and I spotted what looked like two dolphins splashing around on the surface. At first I thought they were Irrawaddy dolphins but they were tiny so I was a tad unsure. I was beginning to think that maybe I’d seen a turtle or a huge fish. Then they surfaced again and Oscar shouted “Finless Porpoises”. And sure enough to the side of the boat were a group of finless porpoises. The group were spread out and I estimate that they were a minimum of four individuals. They may well have been a whole lot more. Finless porpoises are very difficult to spot, they surface for a few seconds and the lack of dorsal fin makes it very difficult to track the group. After a 15-20 minutes we lost track of the group.

Spotting the finless porpoises was a fantastic experience. Every time I head out to the waters off Santubong I am amazed by what is there. The area is such a beautiful place. I love being there but I also get the feeling that I am witnessing something that is about to disappear. More on that another day.

The Sarawak Dolphin Project

2008-05-22T14:18:00.003+08:00

At long last Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins are to be the subject of a conservation based research project. I’ve constantly banged on about the need to actually go out and conduct some proper research and finally it is happening, great news. On 15^th May 2008 the Sarawak Dolphin Project was launched in Kuching. I was aware that this project was on the cards. It has certainly taken a long time to put everything together so congratulations to everyone involved.

The project is a collaborative effort between Sarawak Shell, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC). UNIMAS has appointed Dr Gianna Minton as the project leader. Gianna spent 8 years in Oman studying whales and dolphins. Her PhD focused on the ecology and conservation of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea.

Sarawak Shell is providing a grant of RM 160,000 to facilitate the research. This is not the first time Shell have supported conservation work focusing on Irrawaddy dolphins. Shell Exploration Philippines funded WWF’s Malampaya Sound Ecological Studies Project in Palawan. This conservation project focused on the declining population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the confined waters of the Malampaya Sound.

SFC is the state’s principle wildlife protection agency and their staff will also be involved in the boat surveys and other aspects of the project.

The Sarawak Dolphin Project aims to collect baseline data on the seasonal distribution, habitat use and population of dolphins in Sarawak. The geographic focus of the project is Kuching and Miri. The research is not limited to Irrawaddy dolphins although survey efforts in Kuching will focus on near shore waters where the Irrawaddy is commonly sighted. Other species found in these waters are finless porpoises and Indo-pacific humpback dolphins. In Kuching research will focus on Salak/Santubong and neighbouring waters.

The launch of the project received good coverage in the local press. Unfortunately, the Borneo Post, Sarawak’s main English language newspaper decided to run a somewhat negative piece focusing on tourism as a threat to dolphins. The front page story with headline ‘Dolphin-watch tour packages cause for concern’ really missed the point of the whole story. Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins face a number of threats but tourism is not exactly the major one. Incidental catch and habitat degradation are the main threats. Hopefully the Borneo Post will carry some follow-up stories that provide more balanced coverage of the project when the various surveys commence next month.

Sarawak’s Draft Marine Mammal Watching Guidelines

2007-04-14T18:17:00.000+08:00

Sarawak now has a draft set of guidelines for marine mammal watching. As I’ve argued before such guidelines are long overdue. The need to develop dolphin watching guidelines for Sarawak was first brought to the attention of the Ministry of Tourism and Sarawak Forest Department in 2002 when the Sarawak Tourist Association raised the matter. The idea then was to develop guidelines through a consultative process involving the tourism industry via workshops and practical training for boatmen. At that time the Forest Department was not even aware that tour operators and boat owners were conducting dolphin watching tours even though these tours had been running for years. Nothing came of the proposal. Anyway, fast forward 5 years and it seems that the relevant wildlife agency is now taking an interest in Sarawak’s nascent dolphin watching industry which should be a good thing.

Last month members of the tourism industry and government sector were invited to a presentation by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), the agency currently responsible for wildlife management in the state. SFC gave a presentation on the wider actitives of SFC and then the marine mammal watching guidelines. This was the first time the tourism industry were aware of the guidelines as tourism operators were not consulted in the process of developing the draft guidelines. A number of operators and boat owners that offer dolphin watching tours were not at the meeting and many of those at the meeting do not even offer dolphin watching tours in Sarawak. This week I did a quick check amongst existing operators and many are not aware that there is now a draft set of dolphin watching guidelines.

So how useful are the guidelines and how relevant are they to Sarawak? Well first off the guidelines have not been specifically tailored to suit Sarawak’s dolphin watching industry which is currently focused on the Irrawaddy dolphin. In fact Sarawak’s guidelines are copied almost word-for-word from the Australian National Guidelines for Whale and Dolphin Watching. Yes, someone at SFC has done a ‘cut and paste’ job. On the printed copy of the Sarawak guidelines, there is no acknowledgement of the fact the guidelines were lifted from the Australian regulations.

Using the Australian guidelines as a model for Sarawak is not a bad thing. However, I think greater effort should have been made to adapt the Australian guidelines to the local Sarawak setting. In addition the local tourism industry should have been consulted more and given the chance to provide some meaningful input. According to people that were at last month’s presentation, some wildlife officials were not very well briefed on the local dolphin watching industry.

Currently all dolphin watching tours in Sarawak take place in rivers and estuaries not in the open ocean. However, the guidelines allocate just two sentences to confined waterways.

In confined or crowded waterways such as bays, estuaries, channels and rivers it may not be possible for vessels to maintain approach distances or appropriate number of boat within the caution zone. In these instances take all necessary caution to avoid whales and dolphins.

So just 44 words of the 17 page document are directly relevant to Sarawak’s existing dolphin watching industry. In this respect, the guidelines essentially boil down to last sentence “in these instances take all necessary caution to avoid whales and dolphins”. Which basically amounts to “its up to you lah”!

Many aspects of the guidelines are more relevant to Australia than Sarawak. This is hardly surprisingly since the guidelines were copied from Australia. For example there is a section on land based marine mammal watching that states “cliffs and headlands can provide excellent advantage points for viewing many different whale and dolphins” Does anyone out there know of any cliffs or headlands on Sarawak’s low lying coastline? Last time I looked most of Sarawak’s coast was as flat as pancake. There may be the odd cliff here and there but most of these overlook shallow waters. You’d have to camp out on a cliff for a few years before you catch sight of a whale or dolphin.

There is also a whole bunch of stuff in the guidelines on feeding and dolphin swimming programmes, again lifted directly form the Australian guidelines. These sections state that feeding and dolphin swim programmes are not allowed unless authorised by SFC. I think it would have been better to state that feeding and swim programmes are banned, period. Australia has a pretty good licensing and monitoring system for feeding and swim programmes. In contrast there is limited enforcement and monitoring of conservation and wildlife regulations in Sarawak. In view of the limited resources allocated to monitoring and enforcement I think no authorisation should be given for feeding and swim programmes.

With regards to dolphin swim programmes, there is also a safety concern in Sarawak. In many places swimming with dolphin programmes are not viable in Sarawak. The accessible dolphin populations are found in rivers and estuaries where crocodiles are also commonly found. Not sure too many tourists would fancy swimming with dolphins with a bunch of crocs lurking nearby?

All in all the draft guidelines are a bit disappointing. Not much work has gone into them, they have just been copied from elsewhere. In their current form the guidelines are not going to have much impact. Hopefully there will be more discussion, debate and consultation so that the existing draft can be adapted to local conditions.

Santubong National Park is finally gazetted

2007-03-22T17:54:00.000+08:00

Well it looks like it is official. Santubong has been gazetted as a national park according to a report in the local press. Tucked away in an article headlined “Illegal logging still under control: Tengah” in today’s Borneo Post is a small paragraph quoting Second Planning & Resource Minister Dato Seri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan as saying that Santubong National Park covering an area of 2,000 hectares was “gazetted recently by the government”.

I recently heard through the Sarawak ‘coffee shop rumour mill’ that Santubong had finally been gazetted as a park but I hadn’t seen any official announcement. With the Minister’s statement in the local press it looks like its official.

The Mount Santubong area was first proposed as a national park in 1984 so the wheels of government took a bit of time to spin in to action with this one. But the fact that such a special natural area is now protected is great news for Sarawak.

I spend a lot of time in the Santubong area as do many nature lovers who live in Kuching. The area has heaps to offer – some stunning rainforest scenery, clear jungle streams, rich wildlife and some beautiful bays and beaches. Oh yeah, the Irrawaddy dolphins hang out nearby which is an added bonus.

There are now three protected areas in the wider Santubong area – the Kuching Wetlands National Park, the Talang Satang marine park and the new Santubong National Park.

With such a rich mosaic of habitats in the wider Santubong area, there is certainly room for a couple more protected areas. It would be great if the mangroves at Buntal were protected. And the creation of a “Damai Dolphin Sanctuary” covering the near shore waters off Santubong and Salak would certainly get my vote.

Male Proboscis Monkey

2007-03-22T17:40:00.000+08:00

I haven’t been dolphin watching for a while, hence the lack of posts. But I have managed a few trips to Sarawak’s national parks including Lambir, Kuching Wetlands, Similajau and Bako. This picture was taken at Bako on Monday. Bako and Kuching Wetlands are the best places for seeing proboscis monkeys in Sarawak. If you go an afternoon dolphin watching trip at Santubong and tag on a mangrove or wildlife cruise there is a pretty good chance of seeing proboscis monkeys in the nearby Kuching Wetlands National Park. And what wonderful creatures they are.

Job Vacancy for Researchers?

2006-08-21T16:39:00.000+08:00

Just kidding, no jobs here I’m afraid. Apologises to any job seekers who googled there way here. Back button time for you and good luck with you endeavours. This meandering post is about the need for research on Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins.

A number of studies of Irrawaddy dolphins have been conducted in various countries in Southeast Asia and population estimates have been made for these sites. Here are a few stats to ponder.

Indonesia, Mahakam River, population estimated at 70 individuals based on a 2005 survey. For more info see YK-RASI

Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar, population estimated at 59 individuals based on a 2003 surevy. For more info see IUCN

Malampaya Sound, Palawan, Philippines, population estimated at 77 individuals based on a 2001. For more info see IUCN

Songkhla Lake, Thailand, population now extremely low, fewer than 50. For more info see IUCN

Mekong River, Cambodia, best estimate is 69 based on 2003 survey. For more info see IUCN

Yeah, I know, the above numbers make for pretty depressing reading. At each of the sites surveyed the population is between 50-80 individuals. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that Southeast Asia’s Irrawaddy dolphins need all the help they can get. The first step in that process is to understand what is going on. To determine conservation priorities you need to conduct scientific research, estimate the population, examine threats, etc. This is already happening elsewhere in Southeast Asia with research being conducted in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines. Another project to is about to begin in Indonesia at Sembilang National Park.

So, how about Sarawak? What is the dolphin population in the Kuching area? Sorry folks, at present no one has a clue. Whilst one-off dolphin surveys have been conducted in Sarawak, these just show that there are dolphins out there. Whilst this is a welcome start, follow-up work is needed. Ideally a long term study, or for starters a preliminary study to estimate the dolphin population around Kuching and perhaps some outreach work with fishing communities so that a bycatch monitoring system can be set up in key villages.

So far the local scientific community, the wildlife agency and NGOs have largely ignored Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins. In many ways this is not surprising; after all there are enough issues to look at on land in Sarawak, let alone looking out to sea.

But looking out to sea can be rewarding, especially when there are dolphins on your doorstep.

The fact that relatively large numbers (25+) of Irrawaddy dolphins have been sighted in the Santubong area and groups are regularly sighted at Buntal, Muara Tebas and other rivers and estuaries close to Kuching, suggests that there could be a significant population near Kuching. I am no marine mammal expert - I just like dolphin watching - so I can not say how significant these sightings are.

But when I look at the population stats from elsewhere in the region, 59 in the Ayeyarwady, 77 in the Malampaya Sound, 70 in the Mahakam, etc., it gets me thinking. It makes me think how lucky I am to be able to see four or five groups of Irrawaddy dolphins in one day. It makes me wonder how many dolphins there are near Kuching. It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, the population around Kuching could be pretty significant. It also makes me think - where are the folks with binoculars and clipboards. It sure would be nice to see some researchers out in the bay observing the dolphins instead of just fishermen, tourists and the odd bridled tern.

In many ways the tourism industry has put Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins in the public eye. More and more people are aware that dolphins are found near Kuching and this increased awareness has to be a good thing. What is required now is an increase in scientific knowledge.

In 2000 the Sarawak Forest Department conducted a marine mammal survey along the coast of Sarawak in collaboration with the Borneo Marine Research Institute at the University Malaysia Sabah. The results of the 2000 survey were published in ‘Hornbill’, a Forest Department publication. This is what the researchers recommended.

“Irrawaddy dolphins and finless porpoises in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers of Sarawak should be given serious attention. The creation of reserves for the protection and management of dolphins is strongly encouraged…The impact of incidental catches of dolphins should be investigated…Further studies on the populations, behaviour and ecology of inshore cetaceans should be conducted.”

Some sound recommendations. Unfortunately, six years on, no in-depth ‘further studies’ have been conducted. No serious attention has been given. The impact of bycatch has not been investigated and no dolphin reserves have been set up.

If the Irrawaddy dolphin population around Kuching is significant, and without the data, that is a big if, then Sarawak has an opportunity to play an important role in the conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins in Southeast Asia. But for this to happen research needs to be conducted and more attention needs to be given to the dolphins on the doorstep of Kuching.

MP calls for probe into dredging

2006-08-14T17:52:00.000+08:00

The Member of Parliament for Santubong, Datuk Wan Junaidi Tunaku Jaafar, has called for the relevant agencies to investigate the dredging operations at Santubong. This was front page news in Sunday’s edition of the Eastern Times under the headline “Probe illegal sand dredging call”.

The MP was quoted in the local daily as saying “I am concerned about such illegal activities because they affect the livelihood of the people, especially the fishermen in the area”. For some time now the local fishermen have been complaining about the sand barges and reduced fish catch. A number of press reports have highlighted the fishermen’s concerns.

According to the Eastern Times report, the villagers say the barges move in between 10 and 11 pm and work through the night. On a number of occasions whilst dolphin watching at Santubong I’ve seen the barges during the day. The photo in the previous post ‘Sand dredgers at Santubong’ was taken around 6.30 pm. On that day two barges were dredging for sand when we arrived in the area just after lunch.

I went out dolphin watching again on Sunday afternoon and there was one dredging barge in the Santubong estuary. It was not dredging for sand when we saw it. It was anchored with a second tug boat nearby. There was also a ‘pod’ of four dredging barges in the Santubong River itself, moored just past the junction where the Buntal River joins the Santubong River. Looks like the brazen barges could be breeding! Well maybe not, but it does appear that Santubong’s barge population is increasing with the pod size now ranging from 1-4 individuals. If the barge population continues to increase there could be more sand dredging barges than dolphins at Santubong!

Now that somewhat flippant last remark is not as stupid as it sounds. Both the fishermen and the dolphins fish in the same waters off Santubong. These two groups of Santubong residents have lived side by side for generations with enough fish for both the villagers and the dolphins. The arrival of the sand dredgers has impacted the livelihood of the fisher folk, that we do know. But we do not know what impact the dredging operations are having on the dolphins.

So it is good to hear that the Santubong MP has called for a probe into the dredging and is highlighting the concerns of his constituents. By helping the fishermen Datuk Wan Junaidi is helping the dolphins of Santubong.

Sand Dredgers at Santubong

2006-08-11T15:34:00.000+08:00

Question: What do sand dredging barges and Irrawaddy dolphins have in common?

Answer: Both are currently found at the mouth of the Santubong River.

Whilst the dolphins have been around for years, the sand dredging barges are a relatively recent arrival. Over the last few months they have been extracting sand in waters near Santubong. If you go out dolphin watching you are bound to see them. Unlike the shy Irrawaddy dolphins the barges are easy to spot. They are commonly found in the middle of the estuary, off Damai Beach and near Satang Island which is part of the Talang-Satang National Park. Whilst sightings of dredging barges are more common during the day, the barges are also active at night.

It is not the first time that sand dredgers have appeared in the Santubong area. In 2005 dredging operations were discovered within the Kuching Wetlands National Park, Sarawak’s first Ramsar site. Trees had been cleared and a jetty had been built to facilitate the dredging operation. Thankfully the relevant authorities acted and the dredging operations within the Kuching Wetlands were stopped.

Colour Variation

2006-07-29T17:53:00.000+08:00

In an article that appeared in the December 1997 issue of the Sarawak Museum Journal, Isabel Beasley and Thomas Jefferson noted that the colour of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mahakam River in Kalimantan (Indonesia) was different from the colour of those found in north Borneo.

“The possibility of multiple stocks of Irrawaddy dolphins in Borneo seems high. Interestingly, Irrawaddy dolphins from the Mahakam River area appear to be very light, almost white in colour, while those observed along the north coast of Borneo have been consistently dark grey.”

The authors had conducted marine mammal surveys in Sabah and Sarawak, where the focused on rivers around Kuching. Whilst most of the dolphins sighted at Santubong, Salak and Buntal are dark grey, not all of them are. Groups of light grey dolphins are frequently sighted. It is not uncommon to see groups of both dark and light grey coloured Irrawaddy dolphins in the same area on the same day. The above picture was taken yesterday at Santubong where both dark and light grey dolphins were present in the estuary.

In their 1997 article Isabel Beasley and Thomas Jefferson pointed out that there were several areas where long term studies of dolphins in Borneo were feasible. They also highlighted the need to further investigate the conservation status of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mahakam River. Since the article was published no in-depth long term study of Irrawaddy dolphins has been conducted in Sarawak. However, the Mahakam population in Kalimantan has been the subject of research, much of it done by Dr Danielle Kreb and her colleagues at the Yayasan Conservasi RASI, the Conservation Foundation for Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia. For more information see the

Yayasan Conservasi RASI website.

New Pamphlet on Sarawak's Irrawaddy Dolphins

2006-07-15T13:23:00.000+08:00

The Sarawak Tourism Board recently published a pamphlet on Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins as part of a product development initiative related to the state’s dolphin watching industry. The pamphlet will be given out to tourists who participate in dolphin watching tours. It contains a fact file on the Irrawaddy dolphin with information on habitat, distribution, appearance, behaviour, diet, reproduction, group size, and an overview of the various conservation threats faced by the dolphins. It also discusses association with local fisherman, where to go dolphin watching and provides brief details about other marine mammals of Sarawak. The general idea is to improve on-board interpretation so that tourists can learn more about the dolphins.

The pamphlet also contains a range of photos taken at Santubong, Salak, Sibu Laut and Buntal. Many of these photos first appeared in this blog. The back page image by Chien Lee was featured here in May.

So, if you are in town and plan to go dolphin watching ask for a copy of the pamphlet.

More dolphin by-catch

2006-07-12T18:59:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately another Irrawaddy dolphin was accidentally caught in fishing nets near Kuching last month. This time it was a new born calf, less than a metre long. As you can see from the photo it was tiny. Usual story, the fisherman hauled in his nets and found the dolphin which had already drowned. As I’ve mentioned before the true scale of dolphin by-catch in Sarawak waters is not known as the relevant wildlife agency does not monitor the situation or encourage fishermen to report cases of incidental catch. Research carried out a few years ago in the Kuching Division suggests that 2-3 dolphins are caught each year in villages located near known dolphin populations. The informal reports I get suggest that the figure is often higher, although numbers fluctuate from year to year.

50 Indo-pacific humpbacks offshore from Bako

2006-07-12T15:39:00.000+08:00

On Friday 7th July a large group of around 50 indo-pacific humpback dolphins where spotted near Bako National Park. A group from the Malaysian Nature Society were in the area and had the pleasure of seeing the dolphins up close, surfacing near the boat with loud blows. I wish I was there. Indo-pacifics are occasionally spotted in nearshore waters near Kuching. They are more commonly seen in the dry season and sometimes enter rivers. Most sightings near Kuching are of small groups of less than 10 dolphins or lone individuals. For example groups have been spotted near Santubong and Muara Tebas and a lone individual was once spotted heading up the Santubong river towards the bridge.

False Images: Cambodia is not Sarawak

2006-07-12T12:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, The Eastern Times a local newspaper printed a front cover story on Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins accompanied by a photo of an Irrawaddy taken in the Mekong River. The photo shows an Irrawaddy dolphin kneeling on a sand bar or rock. The photo (see here) was taken by Pete Davidson, although the Eastern Times did not provide a credit or copyright reference or an accurate photo caption. As such the reader is led to believe that the photo was taken in Sarawak which is simply not true.

The photo is a spectacular image that shows some unusual behaviour. But this behaviour is not something that you will ever see in Sarawak. Recently, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the Irrawaddy dolphins of Sarawak and dolphin watching tours. Whilst press coverage increases awareness it is no help at all if articles are poorly researched and images mis-represent reality. Earlier in the week The Star ran a poorly penned piece on Sarawak’s Irrawaddy dolphins with a misleading headline and now the Eastern Times has chipped in by showing a picture of a dolphin taken in Cambodia to accompany an article on dolphins in Sarawak.

I’ve been told that The Eastern Times article has resulted in inquiries asking tour operators to take them to see Irrawaddy dolphins sitting on sandbars like in the picture! If you are considering going on a local dolphin watching tour, bare in mind that you are not going to seeing Irrawaddy dolphins sitting on rocks and performing circus tricks in Sarawak. If you need accurate information on what kind of behaviour you will see on a tour, speak to a tour operator that knows the dolphins and has a track record of running tours. As I’ve said before go with a responsible operator such as CPH Travel who pioneered dolphin watching tours in Sarawak. Avoid the inexperienced operators and ignore local press articles that show pictures of unusual dolphin behaviour taken in other countries.

Video of large group of Irrawaddy dolphins at Santubong

2006-06-24T16:52:00.000+08:00

As mentioned before it is not easy to get good photos or video of Irrawaddy dolphins. You need to spot a large group and hope that they hang around for a while. This is what happened on a recent trip to Santubong. We spotted one group very close to the shore and then a second group joined them. Before long dolphins were surfacing everywhere and I did not have a clue where to point the video camera. I tried to count the total number of dolphins around us but lost count after I got to 20. Where else in the world can you see 20+ Irrawaddy dolphins in the same stretch of the river? Santubong, it is such a magically place. Maybe one day the forests and shores at Santubong will become protected areas, as was first proposed over 20 years ago. I live in hope. But hope is not something that lasts forever, especially when every time I go dolphin watching I see those illegal sand dredgers in the bay. More on that another day.

Wildlife Photography - Dolphins at Salak River

2006-05-07T16:01:00.000+08:00

These images were taken by Ch’ien Lee, a professional photographer, who joined us for Saturday’s dolphin watching trip. Ch’ien Lee specialises in photographing rare plants and animals from the tropical rainforests of Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea, and other locations in Southeast Asia. Check out Ch’ien Lee’s site at http://www.wildborneo.com.my/ for some excellent images of rare plants and wildlife from around Southeast Asian, including a range of photos from Sarawak.

Dolphins & Happy Paddlers

2006-05-06T18:05:00.000+08:00

This morning a group of us went out to the Salak River and had a wonderful interaction with a few groups of Irrawaddy dolphins. The dolphins seemed to be everywhere and I did not know which way to turn and point my camera.

And four happy paddlers were also there, grinning from ear to ear! Hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did Francis.

Pulau Tukong Ara - Bird Rock

2006-05-06T17:48:00.000+08:00

Pulau Tukong Ara is a rocky outcrop located in the Santubong Bay, close to Satang Island. It was gazetted as a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 but later incorporated into the Talang-Satang National Park when this was created in 1999. The reason why the rock is protected is because it is inhabited by a breeding colony of Bridled Terns & Black Naped Terns.

A group of us went out there last week. I occasionally head out to the waters around Satang to see if there are any Bottlenose dolphins around. I haven’t been to Tukong Ara for a few years so was keen to have another look.

Whilst the terns were interesting, I was fascinated by the Pacific Reef Egrets that also make the rock their home. It is common to see various species of white coloured egrets all around the Kuching area. For a non-birder like me egrets are white. So when I first caught sight of two beautiful birds perched on Tukong Ara that looked like egrets but had a grey plumage I was a tad confused. Thankfully, a keen birder was part of our group and explained that it was a Pacific Reef Egret.

Birding in Malaysia is great resource on Sarawak's birdlife. And for some good shots of the Pacific Reef Egret check out Oriental Bird Images.

Categories: Sightings & Trip Reports_

The Sarawak Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei

2006-04-24T09:55:00.000+08:00

Yes, a dolphin has been named after Sarawak. The ‘Sarawak Dolphin’ or ‘Fraser’s Dolphin’ was scientifically described in 1956 by F.C. Fraser. His description was based on a skeleton found on a beach in Lutong in 1895. The skeleton was found by Charles Hose and the specimen now resides in the British Museum of Natural History.

The Fraser’s dolphin remained a mystery to scientists until the 1970’s when the species was ‘rediscovered’. It is found in deep waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. One of the best places in Southeast Asia to see Fraser’s dolphins is Bohol in the Philippines. This is where I went to see them. They are fantastic dolphins to watch as they are very social and hang out in groups of 100-500. I’ve been to Pamilacan Island in Bohol a few times to see these beautiful creatures. They are joy to watch.

There have been no further records of the Fraser’s dolphin in Sarawak. This does not mean that they are no longer found in Sarawak, its just that no scientists have been offshore to look for them. Recent marine mammal research in Sarawak has focused on near shore waters rather than the deep offshore waters that Fraser’s dolphins prefer.

Irresponsible Tourism in Action

2006-04-23T18:06:00.000+08:00

As I’ve mentioned before, a number of ‘copy-cat’ operators have started to offer dolphin watching tours at Santubong and many of these are not very knowledgeable. I’d heard about a blue boat that regularly harasses the dolphins, chasing them around the bay.

On Saturday 22nd April after kayaking to Salak village, FH20 and I paddled back to the river estuary and encountered three groups of Irrawaddy dolphins. We stopped paddling and just sat in the kayak watching the dolphins surface nearby.

We then spotted a tourist boat some distance away watching another group of dolphins. Both of us were shocked at what we saw. It was the infamous blue boat, the very same boat that responsible dolphin watching operators have expressed concern about.

I could not believe what this boat was doing. The boatman was driving the boat directly towards the group, not parallel to the group, but straight towards the direction the group was swimming. This action split the group up and they moved on, surfacing some distance away from the boat. The boatman then repeated the action, moving at speed towards the group and splitting the group up again. The boat was clearing disturbing the dolphins.

As the boat was off in the distance there was nothing we could do so we carried on watching the groups near us and hoped the boat would not come near us. We remained in the same spot in the river with the three groups surfacing around us. Three dolphins swam towards the kayak and passed just metres away. Another group were socialising on the surface of the water 30 metres away. The different groups then came together in the same area and we just sat there enjoying the experience. But it wasn’t to last.

We heard the loud noise of a boat approaching at speed. We turned around and saw the blue boat speeding towards the group of dolphins which were now 40 metres from our kayak. We were livid as we watched the boat motor towards the group of dolphins. We shouted to the boatman to slow down and keep its distance but the boat drove straight into the combined group. The three groups of dolphins that had come together to socialise on the surface quickly dived and fled.

By this time we had enough, so we paddled over to the boat to politely ask the boatman to stop harassing dolphins and give him a bit of advice on how he should approach the dolphins. Maybe he’d then stop disturbing the dolphins and the tourists could also enjoy a better experience.

But the boatman would not listen to us and said that he knew what he was doing. So we give him a piece of our mind and asked the tourists if they knew what they had just been part of. The tourists kept quiet. They probably thought we were a couple of nutters. The boat then left and headed towards the Kuching Wetlands National Park. With the bad ‘Chi’ in the air we paddled back to shore.

If Sarawak is to have a sustainable dolphin watching industry, all boat operators need to behave in a responsible manner and put the dolphins first. Tourists also need to play their part. If they experience such behaviour they should ask their boatman to stop chasing the dolphins and report the operator. Better still don’t go out on a tour with an inexperienced operator. But in the long run the only solution will be the establishment of dolphin watching guidelines and proper training for inexperienced boatmen.

Kayaking to Salak Village

2006-04-23T17:22:00.000+08:00

On Saturday FH20 and I went Kayaking with Irrawaddy dolphins again. Within five minutes of being on the water we spotted a small group of 3 dolphins swimming in the distance. However, they were roaming a large area and appeared to be searching for food. We let them be and decided to kayak to Kampung Salak, the Malay fishing village situated on Salak Island.

I’ve always enjoyed the Salak area. With its rich mangrove forests, wildlife and Malay fishing community, there’s always something going on in the river and heaps to see. OK, I’m usually there to see dolphins but sometimes I get distracted, forget the dolphins and soak up the other sights and sounds. When this happens I normally head to the Kuching Wetlands National Park, Sarawak’s first Ramsar site, and cruise the rivers and creeks in search of wildlife.

But this is not such a great idea when you are on a kayak. The Kuching Wetlands National Park is home to a relatively large population of crocodiles. I like kayaking with dolphins, I also like watching crocs but my preferred vehicle for croc watching is a sturdy boat.

So we headed to Salak village, paddling upriver as the fishing fleet were heading the other way. It’s the jelly fish season at the moment and at various sites along the coastline near Kuching you’ll see small two-men fishing craft roaming the waters in search of jumbo-sized jelly fish. Santubong and Salak are good fishing grounds for jelly fish. The local fishermen catch the jelly fish with a big stick with a hook attached. The jelly fish sell for 50-80 sen a piece and each boat can catch 50-100 jelly fish on a good day. The jelly fish are then salted at village ‘factories’. Some of the product is sold locally but most of it is exported, mainly to Japan.

After watching some macaque monkeys in the mangroves and a brief rest stop at Salak village we headed back out to sea. It was not long before we encountered three groups of Irrawaddy dolphins. We just sat in the kayak, with FH20 occasionally performing an ‘Irrawaddy kayak spin’, slowly moving the kayak 360 degrees so we could see the groups all around us.

Off in the distance we saw a tourist boat watching another group of Irrawaddy dolphins. As we sat in the kayak looking towards the tourist boat both of us could not believe what we were witnessing - an appalling act of irresponsible tourism.

To be continued. Irresponsible Tourism in Action

Dolphin bycatch in one village near Kuching

2006-04-21T16:27:00.000+08:00

Perhaps the single largest threat to the Irrawaddy dolphins in Sarawak is by-catch, when fishermen accidentally catch dolphins in their nets. In Sarawak, fishermen will release a dolphin if it is found alive in their fishing nets. They will cut the nets to free the dolphin regardless of the cost they incur in damaged nets. I’ve spoken to many fishermen, young and old, that have done this. They say that the dolphins often appear as though they are crying and for years their tradition has been to release the dolphins so that is what they do.

But on many occasions dolphins are found dead in the nets. If this is the case the fishermen will take the dolphin back to their village and eat the meat, usually distributing it to family and friends in the village. On occasions the meat is sold. Their approach is ‘well its dead already so why waste it’. Some people may have a problem with this but it’s a fact of life in the coastal villages around Sarawak. If dolphins are found alive in the nets they are released, if they are already dead then nothing is wasted.

There is no monitoring of dolphin by-catch in Sarawak. So when dolphins are caught there is no system in place for the fishermen to report the death. As such the relevant wildlife agency does not record the number of fatalities and does not examine the dolphin carcasses.

So how bad is the problem of dolphin by-catch in Sarawak? No one really knows for sure. Interviews with residents of fishing villages in the Kuching division suggest that 2-3 dolphins are caught every year in each of the villages surveyed (Jaaman et al, 2000). Information I collected in 2002 and 2003 is also in line with this estimate.

In 2002 and 2003 I kept track of the number of cases of incidental dolphin catch by the fishing fleet of one village near Kuching. Fishing boats from this village fish in both offshore and near shore waters. Four dolphins were accidentally caught in fishing nets in 2002 and three dolphins in 2003. Of these seven bycatches, four were confirmed to be Irrawaddy dolphins.

In March 2002, two dolphins were caught in offshore waters, species not known but the dolphins were described as having long beaks. The fishermen found the dead dolphins in the morning after a heavy storm the night before. In the last week of April 2002, one dolphin was caught near Satang Island. The fishermen believed this was an Indo-Pacific Hump-back (or “white dolphin” as local fishermen call this species). The dolphin was dead in the nets when the fishermen found it.

On the morning of 8th May 2002 a juvenile Irrawaddy was accidentally caught in the middle of the Bako-Buntal bay. The dolphin was found dead when the fisherman hauled in his nets. The dolphin was brought back to the village and the meat consumed. I arrived in the village later on that day to see if anything remained. The dolphin had already been cut up and all that remained was the head and tail.

On 4th May 2003 three Irrawaddy dolphins (one fully grown adult and two smaller dolphins) were caught in nets between Tanjung Sipang and Pulau Lakei, near Bako National Park. The dolphins were dead when found and the meat was later sold in the village.

Pictured below is the remains of the juvenile Irrawaddy that was caught in 2002. Not a pretty sight. So what is the impact of by-catch on Sarawak’s population of Irrawaddy dolphins? No one knows. But one thing I do know is that some sort of monitoring system needs to be set up to ascertain how bad the problem is.

Reference

Jaaman, S.A., Ali, S.A., Anyi, Y.U.L., Miji, C. J., Bali, J., Regip, J.M., Bilang, R. and Wahed, R., 2000. Research and conservation of marine mammals in Sarawak: current knowledge. Hornbill 4: 17-28. Forest Department Sarawak, Kuching.

Another Irrawaddy dolphin breach

2006-04-15T18:33:00.000+08:00

A couple of days ago I said that I’d only seen an Irrawaddy dolphin breach on three occasions. Make that four. I when out to Santubong with some friends from Kuching and KL on Easter Friday. Good trip, we saw four groups in total. The first group only consisted of two dolphins and we spotted them in the Santubong River itself, right near the Santubong bridge. They were light grey in colour. So just 1 minute into the trip and we saw dolphins. Not a bad start to the day.

We spotted the other groups in Santubong and Salak, all of them were dark grey/black. The different groups were dispersed around the estuary and did not come together as they did on Tuesday’s kayaking trip. Best of all we saw an Irrawaddy jump out of the water right in front of us, great little leap. It was not quite a full breach, more of a half-breach but most of us on the boat managed to see it.

Again the leap happened after the group we were watching had spent some time on the surface socialising and splashing around together. We spent an hour or so with the dolphins and then went wildlife watching in the Kuching Wetlands National Park.

We went on CPH Travels ‘Santubong Wildlife Tour’ and were not disappointed. Thanks to our guide Jamadi’s excellent skills at spotting wildlife we saw dolphins, long-tailed macaques, proboscis monkeys, silver-leaf monkeys, a stork billed kingfisher, fireflies and crocodiles. I’ll post on this another day.