On Saturday, a large group of picnickers on-board a ferry from Mandwa to Gateway of India cheered as they spotted a pod of humpback dolphins. The next day, another such sighting was reported from near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Marine experts said that though the sightings are not unusual, the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins are rarely seen in Mumbai waters because of the silt.
“The Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins are known to live close to the coast. But we don’t find them in Mumbai waters due to very high turbidity. The sightings reported over the past few weeks may be because of the reduced turbidity during winter,” N. Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forests, Maharashtra Mangrove Cell, said. Mr. Vasudevan, who is also a marine expert, said it is possible that the pod was chasing a school of fish.
“We have been getting reports of various such sighting over the past few weeks,” he said. Sightings have been reported near Gateway of India as ferries ply regularly to Mandwa and Elephanta. A few sightings have also been reported from Gorai.
The Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin is included in the Red List of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Residential and commercial development, transportation and service corridors and pollution are some of the threats to the species.
“For many countries and regions throughout their range, Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins are extremely poorly known, and although many threats exist, there have been very few effective conservation actions,” the IUCN says.
Mumbai-based ecologist Ketaki Jog said these dolphins are residents of shallow waters near the coast. “The sightings have been in their place of residence. It is just that people are paying more attention and are able to see them,” Ms. Jog said, adding that fishermen spot the dolphins very often.