Investigation on the population identity of IndoPacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh and implications for population-level conservation and taxonomy of the species

Principal Investigators: Smith, Rosenbaum, Mowgli Mansur, Farhana Akhtar

The proposed project will investigate the population identity of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. Results of this work will have implications for the taxonomy of the species, filling a critical genetic information gap and giving wildlife managers a complete picture of the priority targets for conserving humpback dolphins in the country. These results will also help clarify phylogenetic relations throughout the species range, such as the apparent genetic anomaly of the Bangladesh humpback dolphin population at the end of an ecological cul-de-sac in the northern Indian Ocean. The specific objectives of this project are to:

(1)     determine the population identity of humpback dolphins in Bangladesh;

(2)     evaluate implications of genetic results on the taxonomy of the species complex;

(3)     build local capacity to conduct molecular studies on cetaceans; and

(4)     contribute scientific information needed for the conservation management of humpback dolphins.