Oil For Fish Bait Kills Gangetic Dolphins

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Recently there is a dolphin that has been accidentally caught, and it is now stuck in the fishing net. But raises a question that not all captures are unintentional and not all killings are accidental.
Some of the dolphins are killed to extract their oil, which is then used as bait for catching catfish

A report by a local NGO called Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL) found in 2019 a number of dolphins along the river banks of Malda and Murshidabad district in West Bengal were killed for bait oil.

The researchers carried out field visits at multiple sites across the stretch and met fishermen who had stored dolphin oil in containers of up to 20 litres, with some containing oil from a dolphin
In their investigation between October and November 2019, HEAL found that the oil was sold at a price ranging from anywhere between Rs 1,200 per kg (£11.61) to Rs 2,000 (£19.48) per kg.

According to a 2020 research paper by Wildlife Institute of India, about 64 per cent of the participating fishermen used dolphin oil as bait, while about 62 per cent considers dolphin oil better than other oils for catching catfish.

The paper, titled as Evidence for the continued use of river dolphin oil for bait fishing and traditional medicine: implications for conservation,argued that dolphin oil continues to be in use despite the availability of alternative bait oil such as sardine oil and fish oil.
Entanglement is a big problem for dolphins as it has led to a lot of dolphin deaths, adding that from rough extrapolation, they found that about 50 to 60 dolphins die each year.

How do marine animals become entangled?

Many marine animals, like whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and sea turtles become entangled in fishing gear and other marine debris as they swim or while on the beach.
Many objects can entangle marine life, such as fishing gear that is being used to fish both commercially and recreationally, lost or abandoned gear, and other types of rope/line and trash, including plastic bags that find their way into the marine environment.

Entanglement of marine life is a global problem that results in the death of hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles worldwide every year.
Entangled animals may drown or starve because they are restricted by fishing gear, or they may suffer physical trauma and infections from the gear cutting into their flesh.
Entangled animals may also be unable to avoid vessels like they normally would, thus increasing the risk of vessel strikes.

Scientific Name:Platanista gangetica
The Ganges River Dolphin was officially discovered in 1801.
Ganges river dolphins live in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghnaand Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwaterand is essentially blind.
They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind. They are also called ‘susu’.

Conservation Status:
Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972: Schedule I.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Endangered.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES): Appendix I (most endangered).
Convention on Migratory Species(CMS): Appendix II(migratory species that need conservation and management or would significantly benefit from international co-operation).

Project Dolphin:The Prime Minister announced the government’s plan to launch a Project Dolphin in his Independence Day Speech 2020.
Dolphin Sanctuary: Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuaryhas been established in
Conservation Plan:The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020, which “identified threats to Gangetic Dolphins and impact of river traffic, irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on Dolphins populations”

Question.

Consider the following statements about Gangetic dolphin: