More than 75 Irrawaddy dolphins are swimming between Mandalay and Bhamo in Kachin state, according to the region’s fisheries department.
Surveyors from Mandalay Region Fisheries Department and the Wildlife Conservation Society counted 79 of the critically endangered species from February 10 to 20.
A department official told state media several calves were spotted in the annual survey, which recorded four more cetaceans than last year.
Some fishermen are still battery fishing, an illegal method that causes the deaths of dolphins, though the practice has declined, said the official.
An ecotourism project on the river has helped protect the species.
The community initiative sees local fisherman taking visitors on dolphin-spotting tours and showcasing fishermen working with the dolphins to lure fish into their nets, an old tradition that is fading because of river traffic, and electric and dynamite fishing.
A 74-kilometre stretch of the river is also now officially protected, with restrictions on gillnets, mining and dredging.
Irrawaddy dolphins have low reproduction rates. Females have one single baby after a gestation period of between nine and 14 months. They reach sexual maturity between four and nine years old and usually give birth every three years.
