On a dolphin vigil

As fishermen in Mirissa resort to harpooning these lovable aquatic creatures:

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

The captured boat

Carcasses of dolphins

www.condredholidays.lk

Dr. P.B. Terney Pradeep Kumara

Two fishermen from Mirissa in the Matara district face legal action for killing dolphins. The authorities were unable to nab the hunters, for several months without evidence to prove the crime, although they were being closely watched. These killed dolphins reach the coast as chopped pieces with no sign of species identity.

Sri Lanka Coast Guards personnel arrested these suspected fishermen in the seas off Mirissa - an informant’s tip. Following the arrest the Coast Guards handed over the suspects, carcases of dolphins and equipment to the local wildlife officials. Wildlife officials confirmed that the suspects were produced before the Matara Magistrate court and they were bailed out on Rs. 30,000 each.

Following information tips from villagers, the officials of the newly established Matara Unit of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) jointly with the Sri Lanka Coast Guards, initiated investigations, that resulted in the recent arrest. On an average 30 to 40 dolphins are killed daily presumably for consumption. So far there has been no credible evidence that the flesh is being sold for consumption. The sea areas are being closely monitored and a watchful eye is being kept on the fishermen .

Hunters kill these harmless animals by harpooning them, according to villagers. This is killing the fish by piercing it with a harpoon (a spear like instrument). This method of killing is an ancient technique to kill fish causing extreme pain and suffocation.

Harpooning dolphins is not new to Mirissa. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s dolphins were killed for commercial purposes.When tourism and its benefits were becoming more and more lucrative for fishing communities at that time, fishermen wanted to see dolphins dead rather than alive said General Manager of the Marine Environment Protection Authority Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara.

“Fishermen were killing dolphins even after that but then, it was mostly for consumption,” Dr. Kumara said.

As fishing technologies developed over time, certain methods that were used became deadly for dolphins. Dolphins were dying by getting entangled in fishnets. Dr. Kumara, is also a researcher on Marine Biology and former head of the Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology of the Ruhunu University.

Fishermen not involved in killing dolphins allege that killing of dolphins was driving dolphins away, Dr Kumara said. “They might move to calmer waters where they sense they will be safe,” he said.

This can affect the tourism industry to a great extent. These people were largely dependent on tourism and there will be a negative impact on the economy of fishermen who operate dolphin and whale watching, during the off season, Dr. Kumara said.

Under Sri Lankan law, killing marine mammals and turtles was prohibited. Under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, no marine mammal or turtles living in Sri Lankan waters, can be harmed or killed.

Conservationists were of the view that regulations in the legal system punishing wrongdoers was insufficient. “For instance the fine, which is around Rs. 5,000 when caught for the first time, is low compared to the damage caused to bio diversity,” Dr. Kumara said.

Wildlife Department officials, jointly with the Sri Lanka Coast Guards are on a ‘vigil’ in Mirissa and the peripheral areas,, Assistant Director, Marine Protection Unit of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Channa Suraweera said. “I’m yet to receive the final report from the Rangers of the area. But officials were closely monitoring all activities in the area,” Suraweera said.

“Dolphins need to be protected as a valuable species. We as a new unit to the DWC, conduct programs to survey the current situation of dolphins,” he said.

Environmentalists said the tragedy of dolphins being harpooned was mostly due to eco- tourism not being under proper supervision.

“Killing dolphins is not the only threat posed to marine wildlife in the seas off Mirissa, the whale- watching industry, a vital tourism attraction, has reached a stage that extra effort was needed to bring the situation to eco-friendly levels. The monitoring in Mirissa seems to be insufficient to protect the beautiful whales and dolphins. Dolphins do get killed by fishermen as bait to catch shark but that was another matter,” said Coordinator of Marine Program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Ajan Rajasuriya said.

Rajasuriya said direct human activity can lead to the species being classified as being endangered.

“Dolphins are seen widely across the sea areas. Yet, if killing them was not brought under control, the situation can go from bad to worse, where the number of dolphins will dwindle” he said.

Rajasuriya said the main problem was the lack of data on dolphins as there were not many surveys and research done on them. Conservationists stress that a proper mechanism of monitoring and controlling needs to be firmly in place, if dolphins are to be used as a tourist attraction and to prevent their numbers from dwindling. Dolphin and whale watching began years ago but there was no farsighted policy and vision. This was the main reason for the tragedy that whales face,” he said.