Plastic pollution from nets threatens endangered Ganga dolphin: Study

Plastic pollution from discarded fishing gear in Ganga river threatens the wildlife, including the endangered Ganga river dolphin, a study said.

In the study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, surveys along the length of the river, from the mouth in Bangladesh to the Himalayas in India, show levels of waste fishing gear are highest near to the sea.

The researchers used a list of 21 river species of “conservation concern” identified by the Wildlife Institute of India in Uttarakhand.

They combined existing information on entanglements of similar species worldwide with the new data on levels of waste fishing gear in the Ganges to estimate which species are most at risk.

A ZSL professor said they found a high proportion of fishing gear made of nylon 6. Interviews with local fishers showed high rates of fishing equipment being discarded in the river — driven by short gear lifespans and lack of appropriate disposal systems, they said.