Rogue 'Electro-Fishing' Puts River Dolphins at Risk in Myanmar
Illegal tactic tests the marine mammals' traditional role in helping Irrawaddy River fishermen.
On a pale blue dawn on the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar (Burma), Maung Lay crouched at the front of his canoe, rapping the gunwale with a short stick. He then made a throaty, high-pitched purr, like the ringtone of an old telephone: his call for assistance.
On cue, the shiny gray flipper of a dolphin broke the surface and waved—dolphinese for: "We're ready to cooperate."
Standing up, Maung Lay pulled a pleated net over his right elbow and shook the lead weights woven into its hem against the hull. At the other end of the 15-foot (5-meter) boat, an assistant splashed the water with an oar.
More dolphins arrived, exhaling heavily as they breached the surface, their mission to corral schools of
