Argus News - Annual Dolphin Census Begins in Chilika Lake

Bhubaneswar, Jan 20: The three-day annual dolphin census commenced on Tuesday in Odisha’s Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, with over 100 participants including experts, retired forest officers, wildlife activists and forest staff, officials said.

The exercise is being carried out by the Chilika Wildlife Division with support from the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).

Divisional Forest Officer Amlan Nayak said 18 teams, each comprising five to six members, have been formed to cover the 1,165-sq-km expanse of the lake. “Eight teams are deployed in Satapada, while 10 are engaged in the Balugaon range,” he said. With favourable weather conditions, the teams began their work at 6 a.m. and continued until noon.

Enumerators have been equipped with drone cameras, GPS units, range finders, binoculars, cameras and depth measurement instruments to record dolphin sightings using the line-transect method. Training sessions for the participants were conducted at Chandrapur near Barkul and at Satapada on Monday.

To ensure minimal disturbance during the census, boat services for tourists on the lake will remain suspended in the morning until Thursday. Spread across Ganjam, Khurda and Puri districts, Chilika is not only Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon but also the country’s biggest waterfowl habitat. It is home to two dolphin species — the Irrawaddy dolphin and the Bottlenose dolphin.

The 2025 census recorded 174 dolphins in Chilika, including 159 Irrawaddy dolphins and 15 Bottlenose dolphins. Officials said the current census will provide updated figures and help assess conservation measures.

Besides Chilika, the dolphin census is also being conducted along parts of Odisha’s coast. In the Berhampur forest division, the 54-km coastline has been divided into four sectors, with at least three people engaged in each sector for the exercise.

The census is expected to provide crucial insights into dolphin populations and habitat conditions, aiding long-term conservation strategies in Odisha’s coastal and lagoon ecosystems.