The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has called for stronger environmental protection and sustainable fishing practices following the latest sightings of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in San Miguel Bay.

The appeal followed the recent scientific assessment by the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology and the Department of Agriculture–BFAR Regional Office V, which examined the population status, distribution, and habitat use of Irrawaddy dolphins in San Miguel Bay.

BFAR National Director Elizer Salilig said Thursday the findings underscore the importance of sustained, science-based conservation efforts to protect the species and its habitat.

“With small numbers and low reproduction rates, the loss of even a single dolphin threatens the population’s survival. We urge continuous monitoring, stronger environmental protections, and sustainable fishing practices,” Salilig said.

Researchers first detected the dolphins through acoustic monitoring on 27 July near Sipocot, Camarines Sur. 

Two days later, they made visual contact with a pod of about nine Irrawaddy dolphins between Siruma and Tinambac, Camarines Sur. 

A second group of around four individuals was observed in the same area on 31 July, confirming continued activity in the bay’s coastal waters.

Although vessel-based transects on 28 and 30 July yielded no direct sightings, researchers said the surveys provided valuable environmental and spatial data that will support future conservation planning and targeted protection measures.

San Miguel Bay is home to one of only three known resident populations of Irrawaddy dolphins in the country, alongside Malampaya Sound in Palawan and the Iloilo–Guimaras–Negros Occidental waters.

Unlike oceanic dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins inhabit shallow coastal waters, estuaries and river mouths, making them particularly vulnerable to fishing gear entanglement, vessel traffic, pollution and habitat degradation.