Solomon Islands Prevent Wild Dolphin Captures: Thank Mark Berman
By Mark J. Palmer
Our colleague Mark Berman died in 2016, ten years ago, but his legacy for protecting dolphins lives on.
When the government of the Solomon Islands welcomed a very valuable tuna cannery for the nation, providing income and jobs, Mark Berman began working with the tuna company and the government to establish the tuna fishery as Dolphin Safe – tuna would be caught by methods that cause no harm to dolphins.
At the same time, several international aquarium groups were coming to the islands to exploit the wild dolphin population. They proposed capturing Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and selling them to other countries for tourist parks. These groups, who trade wild dolphins internationally, promised big revenue and jobs. While captivity for dolphins and whales is declining throughout most of the world, wild dolphins are still sought by China, Japan, and other nations to replace animals that die an early death in captivity.
While some outlying islands of the Solomons continue to kill dolphins for food and to collect the teeth as a form of money, the islands still host a large population of wild dolphins of different species. Notably, the islanders don’t eat the bottlenose dolphin.
Live exports of dolphins from the Solomons began in 2003. Dolphins went to Dubai, China, Mexico, and other countries. In 2008 and 2009, 27 Solomons dolphins were sent to the Philippines and Malaysia for training, with survivors ending up in a Singapore aquarium. There were loud protests from activists around the world. About 23 of the dolphins survive, although information is scant. Conservationists are urging the park to retire the dolphins, and the park did discontinue breeding dolphins (as they had little success).
But Mark Berman was not deterred by the well-funded international captivity rogues and their false promises. He boldly told the Solomon Islands government that the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) would not recognize the tuna fishery as Dolphin Safe when the government was also allowing the capture and killing of wild dolphins for entertainment.
In response, after much back and forth with Berman, the Solomon Islands government passed legislation banning the export of wild dolphins for entertainment. It was an important step in IMMP’s and Berman’s efforts to end captivity of whales and dolphins.
The ban has not always been honored. The Solomon Islands government is often unstable, and there is high turnover in leadership. The Transparency International Corruption Perception Index lists the Solomon Islands as a poor 73rd out of 180 countries. We suspect some bribes were involved in leading the island government to look the other way when an export occurred in the past, despite the ban in place.
But there have also been some major efforts by the government to enforce the ban over the years, involving arrests and release of illegally caught dolphins back into the ocean.
Recently, according to Radio New Zealand, caretaker Fisheries Minister Bradley Tovosia was leaving office, and just as he was leaving, he unilaterally lifted the ban on captures and trading in live dolphins.
However, this hanky panky with the law did not sit well with the incoming Prime Minister, Matthew Wale, who immediately reinstated the ban, stating: "Solomon Islands will not compromise its fisheries standards or risk its economic lifeline for short-term decisions." He cited the international reputation of the Solomon Islands’ tuna industry as a key reason for the ban, with that industry worth US $300 million annually.
Mark Berman would be very proud.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send a message to the Solomon Islands’ permanent mission to the UN in New York, thanking Prime Minister Matthew Wade for his reinstatement of the ban on capturing and exporting wild dolphins for entertainment.
Send Your Thanks Online:
https://solomons.gov.sb/contact/
Send a Letter:
Prime Minister Matthew Wade
C/o Solomon Islands Embassy
800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 L
New York, NY 10017
Call or Fax:
Phone: (212) 559-6192
Fax: (212) 661-8925
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Want to help more? Your donation to the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute helps our work around the world, leveraging governments and businesses to protect whales, dolphins, and their ocean habitat. Help us end the wild capture and captivity of sentient dolphins and small whales – they belong in the ocean, not in concrete tanks. Thank you for your generosity.
