Directions (Q. Nos. 86 to 110) : Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow.
Directions (Q. Nos. 86 to 110) : Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow.
The Ganges river dolphins occur in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system primarily in India and Bangladesh. They are listed as endangered by the IUCN due to a probable population decline of at least 50% over the last fifty years and projected future population declines. Dolphins have been destroyed in the upper reaches of many rivers, the population has been fragmented by irrigation barrages and dry season habitat is further reduced by diversion of water. In comparison to the Ganges, the Brahmaputra river is lesser degraded and is therefore of great importance for persistence of the subspecies. For this reason, a recent proposal by Oil India Ltd. to initiate seismic exploration using explosives and airguns along the bed of the Brahmaputra river to prospect for oil has potentially disastrous implications for Ganges river dolphins. Behavioural studies on dive time, surfacing interval and acoustic investigations were also carried out in two dolphin hotspots. Dolphins spent an average 107·3 seconds under water and 1·26 seconds above water. Mortality through fisheries bycatch was identified as one of the major threats to the Ganges dolphins in the Brahmaputra. Based on high abundance, potential for protection and possibilities for dolphin ecotourism, eight river sections were identified as potential protected areas and community-based conservation areas.
The most imposing threat to the Ganges dolphins in the Brahmaputra is mortality through
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Correct answer: (C) fisheries bycatch
Explanation
Mortality through fisheries bycatch is named as one of the major threats to the Ganges dolphins in the Brahmaputra.