LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Evo Morales has enacted a law to protect Amazon river dolphins, which many researchers say are at risk.

The new law bans fishing for the freshwater dolphins and encourages programs to protect them and their habitats, which have been damaged by erosion, pollution and woodcutting in the river basins.

The president announced the law Tuesday along the shores of the Ibare river in Bolivia's Amazon region.

The dolphins are often pink and have longer snouts than their saltwater cousins. They can weigh 65 to 90 pounds (30 to 40 kilograms).