The widespread use of gillnets means dolphins face a high risk of becoming entangled when they surface to breathe, said Monirul H. Khan, a zoology professor at Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka. “It becomes impossible for them to avoid the fishing nets,” he said. Under a 2002 law, the manufacture, marketing, import, hoarding, carrying, possession or use of any kind of gillnet is prohibited. The measure is meant to check indiscriminate fishing and killing of aquatic species. But gillnets continue to be widely used by fishers, according to media reports, as they’re highly effective at catching large numbers of fish.

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