disturbing sight in the Gulf of Mexico

[FredT]

1. The dolphin catch may have been bycatch off a blackfin tuna bait.

2.Dolphin have sharp intrlocking teeth, I wouldn't have tried to get a swallowed hook out of live one, but leaving the hook in is a slow death via septecemia for the critter.

As far as getting involved, IF they were fishing for mammals, AND you had it on tape the federal prosecutor MIGHT talk to you about it. The best scenario for you is travel at your expense on their schedule to the trial. This seems to happen 4 or more times until the lawyers finish doing last minute trial delays, and then do a plea bargin deal in the end for less of a fine than your hotel bills add up to, IF you keep showing up. BTDT

From past experience holding a commercial fisherman accountable in court unless you can prove a "pattern of abuses" is almost impossible.

The bycatch issue is why I spearfish. I don't have any bycatch.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

From personal experience, believe me, the Coast Guard will get involved. The other authority on this issue is National Marine Fishery Service, a division of NOAA. This is a serious offense. Dolphin are very rarely bycatch on hook and line. If you have documented information, feel free to contact me via PM and I will help you get it to the proper people.

 

[Ishie]

I think you could definitely get a response. For one thing, unlike sharkies, the GP loves dolphins (thank you, Flipper) and there would be an outcry over an incident like that (if made public) that would consist of far more people than the diving community.

 

[archman]

If the fishing boat falls within U.S. territorial waters & the EEZ, it's under Coast Guard jurisdiction regarding marine mammals. According to the 1994 reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (and the 1996 addendums), fishing boats must submit marine mammal mortality/injury reports within 48 hours.

The Coast Guard is incredibly overstrained right now with homeland security. All of their reserves are activated, and their priority has done a complete 180 into anti-terrorism enforcement. All of their other programs have been severely curtailed; fisheries enforcement is near the very bottom of the barrel. Any additions to funding and personnel get funnelled directly into increasing harbor and shipping inspections, they're so far backlogged with anti-terror committments. You'll see similar trends across many government agencies in the U.S. now, if you haven't already noticed.

Good luck with your efforts. Although fishing vessels are permitted to "take" marine mammals in the form of bycatch, beating them on the deck seems rather excessive.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

The Coast Guard is incredibly overstrained right now with homeland security. QUOTE]

Believe me, they are not overstrained to the point where they cannot fulfill their missions. Protecting marine life is one of their very important missions, and if they need to, they will get involved.

 

[archman]

lieve me, they are not overstrained to the point where they cannot fulfill their missions. Protecting marine life is one of their very important missions, and if they need to, they will get involved.

Now now, most folks on this board know by now that I rarely make comments I'm not fully prepared to back up. Regarding the Coast Guard, they are indeed highly strained. Not so much as they were three years ago, but still far more than pre-2001. And they were in trouble back then too... environmental enforcement took a huge hit between 1999 and 2000.
http://www.house.gov/transportation/cgmt/03-08-01/03-08-01memo.html

Search & Rescue, well those boats, aircraft and crews are now co-opted for homeland security. It's compensated by demanding much longer work hours and increased use of existing equipment.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/41076_coasties02.shtml

Staff assigned to vessel inspections and oil spill response, also down.
http://www.umrba.org/policy/testimony/homelandsec.htm

Fisheries enforcement & Drug interdiction, those are the top sacrifices for the agency.
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cach...t.pdf+coast+guard+budget+increases+2004&hl=en

Even with pretty hefty budget increases the last two years (plus this upcoming year), most if not all that money goes directly into anti-terror efforts. So when it's all said and done, the Coast Guard's ability to enforce nasty dolphin beating fishermen is not nearly as effective as it used to be, nor is it predicted to improve in the near future.

Don't confuse this with a lack of enforcement altogether. The advice I give to my students and co-workers when reporting environmental damage is to help out the regulatory/enforcement agency as much as possible, streamlining their work load and getting the problem fast-tracked for resolvement. The Coast Guard is certainly not unique in it's environmental enforcement shortfalls, in fact even in its current state it's still far better than most other state and federal agencies. It just ain't as efficient as it used to be.

 

[wolf eel]

[There was one really bad thing. On the way tp our first rig, we stopped to "talk" to a shrimp boat that had many dolphins frolicking around it. Then we saw the boat hauling a dolphin in their net. Then they beat the dolphin. Is this a common occurence?]

Did the boat that you where on know the captain of the shrimp boat ? As you did stop and chat. what is the name of the boat ?

[I'm thoroughly sickened and can't stop thinking about it.
What can I can do about this?]

I am also sickened about such crap. Is Dolphins considered a off catch of shrimp ? And as for the Dolphins being bated is the word of everybody on the boat not enough for your Coast Guard to act ? Did you say anything while you where chatting ?

I just can not understand how people feel killing a Dolphine ever is OK. That is just sick.

Derek

 

[archman]

I am also sickened about such crap. Is Dolphins considered a off catch of shrimp ? And as for the Dolphins being bated is the word of everybody on the boat not enough for your Coast Guard to act ? Did you say anything while you where chatting ?
Derek

Dolphins can be caught in larger shrimp trawls, although it's rare. NOAA classifies commercial fisheries into Type I, II, and III. Type I's have the most likely chance of injuring/killing marine mammals as incidental bycatch, while Type III's have the least. Type I and II's are required to obtain special marine mammal permits through NOAA, Type III's are not. I believe shrimping is considered a Type III. But if any fisherman injures/kills a marine mammal due to bycatch activity, it must be reported to NOAA within 48 hours. That's the law.

The Coast Guard will almost certainly need hard proof (i.e. video or a produced dolphin corpse) to act. They are cops, not detectives. Testimony by expert witnesses (like your boat captain and his mates) may help.

Oh and crazy as it seems, if the animal was severely injured, the fishermen may have thought they were doing the beast a service by putting it down. I've heard stories like that before. If they have a rifle sometimes they use it instead.
Also depending on your crew's nationality, that may influence their behaviour at sea. Cultural differences regarding humanitarian treatment of marine mammals can be significant.

 

[wolf eel]

[Oh and crazy as it seems, if the animal was severely injured, the fishermen may have thought they were doing the beast a service by putting it down. I've heard stories like that before. If they have a rifle sometimes they use it instead.
Also depending on your crew's nationality, that may influence their behaviour at sea. Cultural differences regarding humanitarian treatment of marine mammals can be significant.]

I agree with everything you have said. I thought they where bating them. I thought one was in the net and the other was from a hook.

Also I understand the need to put something out of missery. Makes sense. But in the case as we are talking about I thought they again put a hook out for them.

Also I thought this was in US waters so who cares about nationality other then the laws all Americans are to ahire to and those that enter your waters ?

Besides who eats Dolphine anyhow ? Thats a real question I have no idea either way.

If that happened here that boat would be named at every slip along our coast and nobody would like them and then at the bar that night. If they where indeed bating them.

Cheers
Derek

 

[baitedstorm]

The entire thing is sick and very sad. No matter how busy or unaviable these agency are, you should definetly not just give up. I appluad your effort, many only talk about doing something, very few actually do it.

Vickie