Government Dolphin Trade to be Scrutinized by International Body
Earth Times 28 Apr 09;
WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Solomon Islands controversial trade in wild-caught dolphins is to be subject to an in-depth review under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as decided by the CITES Animals Committee at its annual meeting last week in Geneva.
Evidence from leading cetacean experts in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG) reveals a lack of population data for bottlenose dolphins in the Solomon Islands. This led the specialists to conclude that it is impossible to determine that the export of bottlenose dolphins is not detrimental to the wild population - a CITES requirement. Despite these findings, the Solomon Islands exported 28 wild-caught dolphins in 2007 and 19 more to the Philippines this past winter.
The CSG's evidence was critical to the decision to place this dolphin trade into the CITES significant trade review process, a mechanism to ensure compliance with Convention. If the Solomon Islands is violating the rules, it will be given a chance to comply before trade sanctions could be implemented.
"This should be a wake-up call to the Solomon Islands' government that the sustainability of its controversial trade in wild-caught dolphins will now be under CITES scrutiny," says D.J. Schubert, Wildlife Biologist of the Animal Welfare Institute, who attended the CITES meeting. "The government is obligated to comply with the rules of CITES - rules that it has, to date, ignored. AWI encourages the government to suspend future live captures and exports of bottlenose dolphins, pending completion of the review process."
The Animals Committee also recommended that the Solomon Islands' government set a more cautious dolphin export quota. A total quota (including all causes of dolphin mortality and live captures) of ten bottlenose dolphins per year for up to four years as a precautionary standard until population surveys are completed was suggested by a CSG representative. Currently, the government has established an annual export quota of 100 wild-caught dolphins - a level of trade the CSG deemed unsustainable.
Though only a CITES member since June 2007, the Solomon Islands is quickly developing a rogue reputation. Its role in the illegal international trade of wild-harvested giant clams was also discussed at the Geneva meeting with the clams also being placed into the significant trade review process.
SOURCE Animal Welfare Institute
Dolphin export quota drops
Solomon Star 29 Apr 09;
THE Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES) has endorsed that Solomon Islands will now only export 10 dolphins a year.
This has reversed government’s current annual export quota which allowed 100 animals to be exported annually.
Christopher Porter, Director of Solomon Islands Mammal Marine Entertainment Centre (SIMMEC) and Marine Export Limited (MEL) confirmed this after the CITES Animal Committee endorsed the recommendation during its annual meeting in Geneva last week.
"This new quota was endorsed during last week's CITES meeting in Geneva," he said.
Mr Porter who closely monitored the meeting said the drop in quota from 100 to 10 is better than being stopped at all and said he has no problem with the new recommendation.
He said the new quota will still benefit the country if it continues to export dolphin this year and the coming years.
“With the world wide endorsement it should encourage Solomon Islanders to work hard and value these natural resources,” he said.
Mr Porter said when he first arrived in the country he knew what he was doing based on the recommendations from CITES.
Over the past seven years, the country has benefited much from such export, he said.
Last year about 28 animals were exported and early this year, 11 were sent to the Philippines.
By MOFFAT MAMU
