SOLOMONS GOVT TO ENTRENCH INTO LAW LIVE DOLPHIN EXPORT BAN

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PAC: SOLOMONS GOVT TO ENTRENCH INTO LAW LIVE DOLPHIN EXPORT BAN

 

By Lloyd Jones

 

PORT MORESBY, Nov 17 AAO-The Solomons government will tomorrow entrench

into law its ban on live dolphin exports after giving reassurances a reported

plan to ship out 40 animals this week was never on the cards.

The New Zealand and Australian governments sought assurances the ban was

still in place after the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

said two charter flights had been arranged to ship dolphins to the Bahamas.

No shipment took place and the Solomons government said it would not have

approved such an export by the privately-run Solomon Islands Marine Mammal

Education Centre (SIMMEC).

Fisheries Secretary Tione Bugotu has confirmed the Cabinet's decision to ban

live dolphin exports would be gazetted into law tomorrow.

In July, 2004, SIMMEC exported 28 Bottlenose dolphins to an aquatic park in

Mexico sparking international outrage and prompting the Australian and New

Zealand governments to urge the Solomons to ban live dolphin exports.

WSPA said SIMMEC was holding around 30 wild-captured dolphins at its Gavetu

Island dolphin park and operator Canadian Chris Porter was attempting to sell

them overseas despite a Solomons government ban imposed in January.

Mark Berman of the US-based environment group The Earth Island Institute was

in the Solomons capital Honiara this week talking to government officials about

the dolphin export ban and plans to export tuna with a " dolphin safe " label.

Mr Berman said today that the Solomons government had to be congratulated on

its maintenance of the ban and WSPA's reports of a planned shipment were

without foundation.

The government and the local tuna industry which employed more than 3,000

people wanted to export lucrative tuna not dolphins, he said.

" They now see this dolphin trade is a huge headache and a bad publicity

situation for the Solomons. "

The Earth Island Institute hoped the government would review Porter's

" dolphin prison " and order the release of the animals into the wild after

proper rehabilitation, Berman said.

The institute believed six had died in recent months and seven stressed

dolphins had been let go without any rehabilitation which was highly

irresponsible, he said.

The ecotourism Porter had promised was not happening and his activities

proved he was just a dealer in dolphins and in it for the money, Berman said.

" They are a national treasure of the Solomons. They don't belong to Chris

Porter to sell for $US30,000 to $US50,000 a piece. "

The Solomons government was interested in seeing wild whale and dolphin

watching tourist ventures and that was a better option than dolphin prisons,

Berman said.

Porter, who is in the Dominican Republic, said this week there was much

misinformation in the dolphin shipment claims and he had referred the matter to

a publicist.

He disputed a claim by New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter that

if live dolphin exports occurred the European Union would ban tuna exports from

the Solomons to Europe.

AAP ldj/jt/jlw