Bhubaneswar: The Chilika Development Authority (CDA)is trying to conserve the Irrawaddy dolphins, the lake's flagship species, by sensitising tourist boat operators. In 2016, the officials had discovered 154 dolphins in the lake.

Admitting that dolphins were a major attraction of the lake, the chief executive officer of the development authority, Susanta Nanda, said the boat operators, who number was around 900 Satpada sector of the lake, known for the concentration of the human-friendly fish, were being made aware about the Chilika's dolphin watching protocol.

"There are certain important aspects like avoiding chasing the animals, maintaining a safe distance from them to not to disturb them, not dropping food material and plastic waste in the lake," said Nanda adding that boat operators should avoid overloading at all costs.

The protocol had become imperative due to the tendency of tourist boat operators to chase the dolphins as tourists wanted to get as close to the big fish as possible.

However, this relentless chase had serious impact on the health of these mammals who are known to be slow breeders.

Mechanised boats and gillnets (fishing nets that close around the gills when fish try to withdraw from narrow net openings) pose a big threat to the dolphins found mainly along the outer channel of the lake where there is abundance of fish for them to feed on.

A source said that gillnets choke the dolphins which need to surface every five to seven minutes to breathe. The noise of the outboard engines of the boats also adds to their anxiety.

Hundreds of mechanised boats carry tourists across the lake every day.

Most of these expeditions are carried out to see dolphins at the lake. The boatmen try to get close to the dolphins and endanger them in the process.

However, Nanda said the good thing was that the boat operators were responding well to the development authority's sensitisation campaign, at times assisted by the World Wildlife Fund as well.

"Chasing of the animals has practically stopped and the boat operators now also taking care to stop the propellers of the boats when they come close to the dolphin sighting area of the lake," Nanda said.

He further said that the seven associations of boat operators in the area had resolved to protect the dolphins.