Radio New Zealand 18 Jan 11;
Solomon Islands is to resume exporting dolphins.
The Director of the Solomon Islands Marine Mammal Excursion Center, Robert Satu, says he has received orders from Europe and the Middle East.
He says hunters will soon head out to sea again to look for dolphins to be trained and then exported to Europe after receiving orders from Germany, France and Dubai.
The Solomons Star reports Mr Satu as saying a shipment is expected in June.
He says Germany has already ordered 28 dolphins while Dubai and other European countries have ordered another 28.
Mr Satu had previously released 14 dolphins on Independence Day last year, saying it was an agreement with the Earth Island Institute.
Earth Island Institute against dolphin exportation
Solomon Star 20 Jan 11;
EARTH Island Institute (EII) says the proposed export by Solomon Islands Marine Mammals and Education Centre (SIMMEC) is making things difficult for Solomon Islands to make million dollar tuna investments here.
Mark Berman, director of EII’s dolphin safe tuna monitoring program said this followed news about the proposed export of dolphins to Europe.
SIMMEC director Robert Satu said he had received requests from a number of countries including Germany, France and Dubai.
Mr Satu and his boys plan to resume hunting mid next month and early March.
But speaking to the Solomon Star, Mr Berman said Mr Satu was going to make things impossible for Solomon Islands to have tuna factories built.
“If he goes ahead with this, then the Solomon Islands government can forget about Frabelle and Dong Won investing,” he said.
EEI is a United States based organisation which runs private environmental monitoring programs.
It also provides dolphin safe certification for canned tuna producers.
They regularly inspect tuna in canneries, at dockside, and aboard fishing vessels in order to insure tuna consumers buy is truly “dolphin safe“ .
In the country Earth Island has an agreement with Soltai Fishing and Processing Limited (SFPL) and the Western Province.
In this agreements Soltai pledge to abide by the Earth Island international dolphin safe tuna standards by not catching dolphin and use of drift gill nets
Over the past years Earth Islands had warned Malaita and Guadalcanal Province to cease hunting and capturing of these mammals because they will only advise tuna investors to invest if all trades stops.
Mr Berman further added EII was going to lobby with European Union (EU) to stop export to Germany and France.
“We are going to lobby EU to make it impossible for any import into Germany or France,” he said.
With Gavutu now closed, the United States based director questioned where Satu was going to put all dolphins.
“And how will he keep them alive,” he said.
Mr Satu had previously released 14 dolphins on Independence Day last year.
He claimed the release was based on instructions and agreement with EII.
“They promised us a huge sum of money if we release the dolphins, but still that promise is yet to be fulfilled,” he said.
He described the deal as a total waste and loss for both the center and the nation as a whole.
By MOFFAT MAMU
