On my post “The [bloody] Cove”, I did mention this, but I was then corrected by Jorge Mateus, that the dolphins are alive. He also advised that I should be careful with what I post online, without due verification of the facts, and that the fact “call myself” a scientist bears a responsibility to have all facts correct, especially when I point out some flaws on other’s work.

I took that paragraph from the post straight away, to avoid leaving it floating on the web, with untrue information.

He is very right about this, and I will make sure I won’t repeat it, and I do thank him for his constructive critique.

Nevertheless I would like to take the case of Solomon Island dolphins, since I found some time to take his advice and get informed; and also about this “dolphinariums” business as a whole (again). And with it restore the truth on the subject.

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Before I get onto the Solomon case I would like to express my high spirits and cheer for The Cove winning the Oscar for Best Documentary!

It is also screening in Portugal. You can watch it at

Lisboa
UCI Cinemas – El Corte Inglés
Cinema City Classic Alvalade

Setúbal
Zon Lusomundo Almada Forum

Porto – Vila Nova de Gaia
UCI Arrábida 20

However, screenings in Japan don’t go as smooth…The following text is from Ric O’Barry:
My only question is: what do they have to hide?

“(…) But there are threats on the horizon. Officials in Japan are threatening repercussions against university and community groups that dare to show The Cove. Dolphin-killing fishermen’s unions are threatening lawsuits against theaters that show the film. There are even some signs that I could face arrest in Japan, even though I’ve broken no laws whatsoever.

We wont give in to this pressure. Instead, I am making plans to spend months in Japan with our Save Japan Dolphins Team. I want to be wherever we can find an audience. Our message will particularly resonate with young people, to whom we need to reach out with the dangers of mercury-contaminated dolphin meat and the slaughter of dolphins they love as much as we do.”

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But back to the Solomon dolphins’ case; just because they are alive, and I was wrong by saying they died during transport, doesn’t make it (the export of wild dolphins and the dolphinarium industry) more righteous in any way!

When I started to read more about the Solomon Islands dolphins, Chris Porter and the Solomon Islands Marine Mammal Education Centre and Exporters Limited (MMECEL), Directed by Robert Satu, found that the first outcry from the international community related to the shipping of wild dolphin from this small pacific islands were heard in 2003, when a shipping to Mexico was made.

Soon after 2003 shipments the government banned the export of wild dolphins, due to the international outcry. But Satu took it to court and won. Also the government – which changed since the shipments to Mexico – gave its blessing and a high-level delegation was at Dubai to mark the dolphins’ arrival.

What stricken me most about all this is 2 basic elements:
1) Both Dubai and the Solomon Islands are part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). So, how this exportation did happen?
2) The scientific grounds and the welfare of the animals.

All international forums have their flaws and CITES is no different.

The order Cetacea (that bear all whales and dolphins) is found on the Appendix II of CITES (and many other species of toothed and baleen Cetaceans are also included on Appendix I).

The highest level of protection is afforded to the more than 800 Appendix I species designated as being in immediate danger of extinction[1]. With very few exceptions, commercial trade in Appendix I species is banned. These species include the highly vulnerable species like whale, elephant, tiger, gorilla and marine turtle, along with a large number of additional wild cats, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos and macaws.

Species listed on CITES Appendix II are recognized to require protection from trade, but not to the point of a ban. While trade may be allowed in Appendix II species, any international trade or transfer of such an animal or its derivative products requires an export permit issued by the authorities of the nation where the animal product is located and in some instances an import permit issued by the country where the animal product will be received. In theory, these restrictions on trade in Appendix II species are designed to regulate trade in order to ensure that these species are not exploited to the point where they require Appendix I protections.

William Rossiter from Cetacean Society International (CSI) described the loophole used by Chris Carter on CSI’s Whales Alive! - Vol. XVI No. 3 – July 2007.

“(…) Porter’s plan relies on the CITES “non-determination finding” (NDF) that must accompany the export. The purpose of an NDF is to certify that the international trade in a CITES-listed species will not be detrimental to the population, backed up by credible data on the abundance and distribution of the listed plant or animal. No adequate data is known to exist for the Solomon Islands dolphins, according to many scientists CSI questioned. In late June Porter, finally admitting what everyone knows, hired a U.S. scientist to get some data, albeit a little late. Porter’s MEL [Marine Export Ltd] partners include Wildlife International Network Inc. (WIN), including Robin Friday, Mark Simmons, and Ted N. Turner, although Turner may have left. In Panama WIN calls itself “Ocean Embassy”, where their extremely controversial permit to capture 80 local dolphins for captive display and probable sale continues to fuel such a public fury that it might be on hold when you read this.

The CITES Secretariat cannot reject an NDF, but can recommend that the importing nation question or reject the exporter’s NDF. The dolphins now appear to be aimed at Dubai, which may follow the CITES expected recommendation and reject the import. Mexico did not follow CITES’ recommendation to question the data in 2003, embarrassing the nation with the results. The Solomon Islands were not a member of CITES in 2003, but joined in late June. (…)” [2]

Also, as explained by the Species Survival Network and WWF International:

“(…)There is a significant lack of scientific information on the stocks of T. aduncus (or any other dolphin species) in Solomon Islands waters, as confirmed by the chair of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG) in letters submitted to the CITES Secretariat and Solomon Islands government in June 2007 (IUCN CSG 2007a, b). The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission also discussed the 2003 live captures of bottlenose dolphins in Solomon Islands, noting that “[n]o estimates of abundance, population structure or vital rates are available” and re-iterating its “recommendation that any live captures should be proceeded by a full assessment of status” (IWC Scientific Committee 2004). Consequently, these past and potential future exports represent a failure in the implementation of CITES Article IV, which requires science-based non-detriment findings before export of Appendix II species is allowed.(…)” [3]

Despite all the diligences made to CITES and the scientific indetermination surrounding the issue, Solomon Islands officially permit 100 dolphins to be exported per year. Rossiter explained the capture method used by the people of the Solomon’s in the CSI Whales Alive! - Vol. XVII No. 1 – January 2008, he described that in order to reach that quota, local fishermen use primitive methods that injure or kill hundreds of dolphins, with many social units being destroyed. The selected survivors are then transported long distances in open boats to a captivity facility. But even there, they are far from save, being further culled by illness, death, or just being released in waters too far from their home waters to survive. “From the moment of capture all these dolphins are as good as dead as far as the survival of their populations in concerned.”[3]

They might also argue that isn’t necessary to use the precautionary approach since there are “plenty” dolphin in the Solomon’s, so they can be killed by the hundreds.

In Iki, Japan, dolphins used to be killed by the thousands, and they were in fact streaming by the coast, now a day that abundance is gone, most due to the captivity trade, that is so lucrative. But now they go buy them in Taiji, to furnish their dolphinariums. [5]

Solomon Islanders, say they know it better, and that catches are sustainable; while the world’s best scientists confirm that no one knows how many Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live in Solomon Island waters, or what the local populations are like. They argue that “local knowledge” gives them the basis to estimate an adequate quota for exportation. Rossiter reasons further, “In truth, they do not care; the species is considered a pest in many areas, and has almost none of the value that spinner, spotted and other cetaceans have as meat, and for teeth valued for bridal dowries.”

According to the Solomon’s Fisheries Minister Nollen Leni, each dolphin on the Dubai market goes for US$200,000 (around 147,000€) revealing the value of the country’s “new million dollar” industry. If you multiply this unit value for the 100 dolphins they are allowed to sell per year. [6]

And quoting Robert Satu, the front man from MMECEL: “It’s big – bigger than gold or logging” [7]

Rossiter puts it well when he reflects about the social reality of the Solomon Islands:

“Who can blame them? We are not wasting your time or our space with details of how the Solomon Islands dolphin market got where it is today, much less the government turnovers and intrigue, but it has been a sad, fascinating experience for us to study the struggles of a society plagued by social violence and unrest, three government upheavals since 2003, and the corrupting influence of outsiders with promises of lots of money for a locally worthless animal. Why should they care if their new market threatens the core of CITES?

The raw power of money both separates and links Dubai and Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands is resource-rich and money-poor, while Dubai is so oil-rich the nation’s explosive development to date proves that anything is possible if the cost is irrelevant. Both nations are equally unfazed by international concerns and equally efficient at keeping prying eyes away from their dolphins. Little did we know that the Solomon Islands_Dubai trade had been planned since 2004! We suspect shipments to Dubai and China are due, but have no clue when or where the dolphins will end up.”

The chorus of disapproval and examples detailing how ineffective CITES was on this matter goes forever. The main reason why CITES didn’t had any effect on this issue is simple. Solomon Islands and Dubai do not care about science; they care about profit and luxury!

They also don’t care about the dolphin’s welfare either, and even that it is true that some of the dolphins captured and maintained in pens for exportation in the Solomon’s reached Dubai, many die still in the Solomon’s.

An independent observer described the facility where the dolphins are kept: “Dolphins are kept in shallow pens so close to the sea that it’s hard to understand why they don’t try to escape by jumping the slim barrier.  But they don’t and instead lie traumatized, hungry and limp.   Their fate is shocking.   Many die of starvation and shock.  Others have been transported to Honiara, kept in holding pens for a few days, packed into open trucks travelling to the airport and put on planes (…)” [8]

Even days prior to the export to Dubai at least 3 dolphins were found dead near a holding pen. And other sources say that at least 30 other animals are buried in the vicinity. [2] [6]

It is hard to tell more precisely the amount of dolphins that die in those pens because if anyone tries to get close to them they are “attacked by the thugs who work for Chris Porter” [8]

That is how transparent they are on their work!

However, I must say it gives me a grim of irony every time I read the work education, related to any dolphin show, or in the case of the Solomon Islands, that same word attached to the export company name. It might be entertaining, it might be amusing, but it is not educational. There is nothing education about a dolphin doing tricks, over loud music in confinement and just because the trainer (and the audience) wants it too.

I got some tourists in the Canaries where I did some studies on dolphin-whale watching boat interactions who were very disappointed because they were expecting the dolphins to jump, do acrobatics, come to the boat to touch their hands with their flippers, and kiss them, because that is what they see on the dolphin shows! My reply was always the same, “here you see them for what they are, this is not a dolphin show” and I would go further and explain them why they shouldn’t go to a dolphinarium ever again…

And that same grim of irony expands they people tell me that, “dolphinariums in Europe and the U.S. are very different from the ones in Mexico and other developing countries”. To those I would encourage them to read an excellent piece by Naomi Rose, who I had the pleasure of meeting in Limerich back in 2004 during the IFAW forum on sustainability. It is titled The Solomon Islands Dolphins: The Myth of “Good” Marine Parks. [Read it here]

Back in 2002 even Portugal wanted to import 10 live wild dolphins to Zoomarine and the Lisbon Zoo from Guinea-Bissau. Interesting was the fact that Cuba went ahead and offered the same dolphins, before the activist against captivity could even react to the Guinea-Bissau case! It is a lot of money and many want a slice of that pie. [9] [10] [11] National Authorities didn’t allow the importation.

Bottom line is: Dolphins do not belong in captivity and we have dramatic examples of this that come to the media time after time. The most recent being Tillikum, an Orca from SeaWorld that killed its trainer Dawn Brancheau; this same Dolphin – orcas are dolphins, not whales – was involved in the deaths of 2 other people, the first death when Tillikum was property of Sealand, and other 2 after he was sold to SeaWorld. [12]

Bruce Bott, a diver who has studied whales for 40 years and recently completed a book about whale-human interactions, was briefly employed at Sealand and said the facility bears some responsibility.

Bott, who worked with the whales, but left before Tillikum arrived, said food withdrawal was regularly used when whales would not obey instructions.[13]

Not to mention the medication administrated to the dolphins trying to relieve them from the stress they endure due to confinement, that also lead to ulcers and other conditions.

However, there isn’t any record of an Orca killing any human in the wild, so you can take your own conclusions. Mine are the same of Louie Psihoyos “ the real killer is SeaWorld. By stressing this creatures in small tanks and forcing them do stupid tricks for spectacles of dominance they are committing crimes against humanity and nature”

Ric O’barry also commented saying that: “I trained “Hugo” the first killer whale in captivity east of the Mississippi – back in 1968. I knew then that this was a very bad idea and I walked away from his tank at the Miami Seaquarium. I went public with my opinion but the bastards would not listen. They were blinded by the money!“

I will close this post with a final quote by Jacques Cousteau:

“There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary confinement.”

Here’s a video with some good comments on dolphin captivity.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM0Zct5Wlj0

[1] http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/how.shtml
[2] http://csiwhalesalive.org/csi07307.html
[3] http://www.ssn.org/Documents/news_articles_SI_exports_EN.htm
[4] http://csiwhalesalive.org/csi08105.html
[5] Comments by Hardy James, founder of bluevoice.org on 2009 Oscar Winner Documentary “The Cove”, Directed by Louie Psihoyos
[6] http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070910/071012-6.htm
[7] http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=10807251439
[8] http://australiansforanimals.org.au/solomonislands.htm
[9] http://www.amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oagcw098.php
[10] http://www.captiveanimals.org/aquarium/portugal.htm
[11] http://www.acsonline.org/issues/conservationRpts/Conservation0202.html#dolphins
[12] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6239677-504083.html
[13] http://www2.canada.com/scripts/story.html?id=2614181