Solomons’ Dolphin Dilemma
Though the Solomon Islands government banned exports of live dolphins in 2005, recently, the Pacific island nation has taken steps that suggest it may be doing a U-turn.
The capture of 20 wild dolphins in the Solomons last month sparked fears among environmental groups that the government plans to overturn a ban on such exports.
The dolphins were captured for a Solomons venture run by Canadian Chris Porter, who in 2004 exported 28 bottlenose dolphins to an aquatic park in Mexico.
That shipment stirred international outrage including protests from the Australian and New Zealand governments. The Solomons tuna industry also protested, fearing a boycott of its exports.
Former prime minister Allan Kemakeza’s government imposed the export ban, but the current government of Manasseh Sogavare is yet to make its position clear.
Fisheries Minister Nollen Leni could not be contacted for comment on Wednesday, but his response to protest letters from animal protection groups shows he supports a return to live dolphin exports.
He told Naomi Rose of the Humane Society International in the United States that the killing of dolphins was part of Solomons culture and exporting them live could earn money for the country.
“Solomon Islands has between 300,000 to 800,000 dolphins in its waters and the catch and export of 100 live dolphins per year we believe is sustainable.”
Leni said US figures showed US fishing fleets killed around 65,000 dolphins in nets a year.
“Why don’t you fix this problem first rather than come to us with just 100 dolphins not killed but exported for tourism?
“What about the elephants and all the wild animals of Africa and Asia kept in cages in the zoos in your country?” Leni said.
“Thank you for your concern but please clean up your back yard first, otherwise you are just a conservation fanatic.”
Rose said the International Whaling Commission’s scientific committee recently recommended no live dolphin captures until accurate population figures were known, which was not the case in the Solomons.
She said her organisation was addressing the issue of dolphin bycatch deaths by US and other fishing companies and was also concerned about the welfare of wildlife in captivity.
Mark Berman of the environmental group The Earth Island Institute in San Francisco told AAP that overturning the dolphin export ban would hurt the reputation of the Solomons and its tuna industry.
The Solomons was currently trying to sign up to CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species) said Berman, whose institute approves “dolphin safe” labels for tuna companies.
“But if they sign the CITES and ship out dolphins they will immediately be in violation of it.”
Berman said if the live export ban was overturned, his institute would tell companies using the “dolphin safe” label to phase out tuna supplies from the Solomons.
“How could we possibly certify dolphin-safe tuna from a country that exports live dolphins?”
Trained dolphins can fetch $US30,000 ($A36,000) or more on the world market to entertain crowds at aquatic parks.
© AAP