First initiative in the country to use drone technology for marine mammal research, providing a significant boost to marine mammal conservation efforts.
ICAR – Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, has carried out a drone-based survey to study marine mammal fishery interaction. This is the first initiative in the country to use drone technology for marine mammal research, providing a significant boost to marine mammal conservation efforts. The study was carried out under the Marine Mammal Stock Assessment in India (MMSAI) project funded by the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Traditional survey methods often face constraints related to time, costs, and difficulties in monitoring elusive marine species across vast oceanic areas. In contrast, drones provide a more efficient, non-invasive, and cost-effective solution for collecting comprehensive data.
Dr George Ninan, Director, CIFT, stated that the innovative approach is expected to provide crucial data on the behavioral aspects, development of scientific mitigation measures, and conservation of protected marine species.
The research team consists of Dr. Prajith K.K, Paras Nath Jha, Dr. Dhiju Das P. H., Dr. Rithin Joseph, Hrishikesh P. and Shri. Immanuel Shaji successfully identified a pod of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa Sp.) from off Kochi. These dolphins are listed as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
