Solomon Islands: 1000 dolphins killed by locals for $$$

[highdesert]

You may or may not be aware of a recent mass killing of dolphins in the Solomon Islands. The instance has been recounted many places online, so I'm not going to repeat it all here. If you want to come up to speed, check out the first two links below.

My bottom line is, regardless of who is at fault, whether it is bookkeeping, greed, or graft, a group of people took it out on their own marine life. There is no good excuse for this, however you view the story.

The Solomons have always been on my diving bucket list. I have just written to the Solomon Islands tourism organization (third link below) and told them that their islands will see none of my dollars without resolution of this issue, and a plan to see that it never happens again. You may see it differently ... your choice ... but I will not support a country that allows this, just as I will not visit Japan due to the continued dolphin killings in Taiji.

If your response is that my individual actions are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, fine and dandy, but I know differently. There have been enough "meaningless" actions by millions of individuals that the shark fin trade in Hong Kong, as terrible as it still is, was off by 50% last year.


Solomon Islands? Dolphin Kill Spurred by Corrupt Dolphin Traders, Says Animal Rights Group | Latest News | Earth Island Journal | Earth Island Institute

Dolphin slaughter affecting Solomon Islands tourism | ABC Radio Australia

https://www.reservesecure.com/PicsH...u0h&IDHost=1156&ID=1628&IDL=11&IDType=307&q=1

 

[Mike]

The issue seems to be pretty complex.

There also seems to be some journalistic license being used.

Is it a slaughter or a harvest of marine life?

 

[mikeycanuk]

I spend my tourist dollars where -to the best of my knowledge- there is respect for the marine environment. In the end it's what we most have control over and if enough of us care, we'll make a difference.

 

[highdesert]

The issue seems to be pretty complex.
There also seems to be some journalistic license being used.
Is it a slaughter or a harvest of marine life?

What I'm reading is that a certain group has said they will continue to kill dolphins until they get their (or what they think is their) money. Just like in the movies ... we'll kill a hostage every hour until we get the ransom money.

I call that extortion.

 

[Heg]

You may or may not be aware of a recent mass killing of dolphins in the Solomon Islands. The instance has been recounted many places online, so I'm not going to repeat it all here. If you want to come up to speed, check out the first two links below.

My bottom line is, regardless of who is at fault, whether it is bookkeeping, greed, or graft, a group of people took it out on their own marine life. There is no good excuse for this, however you view the story.

The Solomons have always been on my diving bucket list. I have just written to the Solomon Islands tourism organization (third link below) and told them that their islands will see none of my dollars without resolution of this issue, and a plan to see that it never happens again. You may see it differently ... your choice ... but I will not support a country that allows this, just as I will not visit Japan due to the continued dolphin killings in Taiji.

If your response is that my individual actions are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, fine and dandy, but I know differently. There have been enough "meaningless" actions by millions of individuals that the shark fin trade in Hong Kong, as terrible as it still is, was off by 50% last year.


Solomon Islands? Dolphin Kill Spurred by Corrupt Dolphin Traders, Says Animal Rights Group | Latest News | Earth Island Journal | Earth Island Institute

Dolphin slaughter affecting Solomon Islands tourism | ABC Radio Australia

https://www.reservesecure.com/PicsH...u0h&IDHost=1156&ID=1628&IDL=11&IDType=307&q=1

I wrote to the Japanese tourist industry to say the same thing re Taiji. I refuse to travel to a country that allows such meaningless slaughter. I was about to book a trip on the Bilikiki this April , but am now rethinking my plans.

---------- Post added February 2nd, 2013 at 08:16 AM ----------

You may or may not be aware of a recent mass killing of dolphins in the Solomon Islands. The instance has been recounted many places online, so I'm not going to repeat it all here. If you want to come up to speed, check out the first two links below.

My bottom line is, regardless of who is at fault, whether it is bookkeeping, greed, or graft, a group of people took it out on their own marine life. There is no good excuse for this, however you view the story.

The Solomons have always been on my diving bucket list. I have just written to the Solomon Islands tourism organization (third link below) and told them that their islands will see none of my dollars without resolution of this issue, and a plan to see that it never happens again. You may see it differently ... your choice ... but I will not support a country that allows this, just as I will not visit Japan due to the continued dolphin killings in Taiji.

If your response is that my individual actions are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, fine and dandy, but I know differently. There have been enough "meaningless" actions by millions of individuals that the shark fin trade in Hong Kong, as terrible as it still is, was off by 50% last year.


Solomon Islands? Dolphin Kill Spurred by Corrupt Dolphin Traders, Says Animal Rights Group | Latest News | Earth Island Journal | Earth Island Institute

Dolphin slaughter affecting Solomon Islands tourism | ABC Radio Australia

https://www.reservesecure.com/PicsH...u0h&IDHost=1156&ID=1628&IDL=11&IDType=307&q=1

Thanks for the link. I've just written to the tourist dept and expressed my disgust .

 

[GrimSleeper]

In the interests of full disclosure, I own and operate a dive shop in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.


We are as horrified as anyone by the slaughter of something like 1000 dolphins by members of one small community here in the Solomon Islands. That the killing should have been done in an apparent attempt to extort money, or in revenge for not getting money, only makes it worse. As people who have spent many years struggling for, and to some extent been part of achieving, a degree of protection for sharks, we understand the outrage of animal lovers. I think it's fair to say that every other tourism operator here, along with the vast majority of the population of the Solomon Islands, feel the same way. The Solomon Islands is a collection of very diverse cultures and the killing of dolphins is only practiced by two small villages on Malaita. It's heartbreaking that, at a time when the people of the Western Province are trying to build a sustainable eco-tourism industry and protect their natural resources for all to enjoy, the greed and intransigence of a tiny number of people in what is almost a separate country should be so destructive.


However… Life is never really a simple tale of right and wrong. Please believe that there are plenty of people and organizations within the Solomons pushing for action by the Solomon Islands' Government to fully protect marine mammals. If you've never been here, though, it can be hard to imagine how very different, how very remote, this country is from the daily experiences of most Europeans, Americans or Australians. As one of the last frontiers, the country is constantly exposed to outside interests hoping to exploit poor education, naivety and, indeed, greed on the part of Solomon Islanders. It's probable, for example, that the people involved in the slaughter have been misled by overseas 'businessmen' involved in live dolphin trafficking, as with Taiji in Japan - the idea being that, if you orchestrate the slaughter of enough dolphins, selling them alive to entertainment parks looks like a benign option. It is worth noting that the resurrection of dolphin hunting in these Malaitan villages coincides with the Solomon Island Government moving to ban the live export of dolphins. As such, what is needed is engagement and education, not hatred and isolation. Global action to stop trafficking in marine mammals and the encouragement of local action to educate and assist some of the poorest people on Earth is surely a more positive step. Nothing will bring those poor dolphins back, but a positive approach might prevent such a tragedy happening again.


The Solomon Islands have a dark history of exploitation and abuse at the hands of both outsiders and sometimes their own leaders, which has left the country one of the least developed places on Earth. Infrastructure is almost non-existent, only 15% of the population is in paid employment, and natural resources have been plundered with little or no benefit coming to the populace. Against this background, Solomon Islanders are proud both to have achieved the status of an independent nation and in many ways to have managed to keep ancient customs and traditions alive. While the slaughter of dolphins which occurred at Fanalei is abhorrent not only to many in the outside world but also to the majority of Solomon Islanders, it is a customary practice of that community, just as the hunting of turtles and dugongs are both traditional and permitted for Australian Aborigines and Torres Straits islanders, or the hunting of whales for some Native American tribes. Not all customs are defensible and just because something is traditional it is not necessarily right, but I can't help thinking Americans and Australians would be upset if the rest of the world called for a total boycott on those countries due to the traditional behavior of a tiny minority group.


On a side note, the link being shared for writing protests to the SI government is actually for the Solomon Islands' Visitors Bureau, a barely-funded marketing organization who are struggling to comprehend the storm that is breaking about them. It might be better to address concerns to the Director of Tourism at the relevant Ministry, Barney Sivoro. His email is bsivoro@hotmail.com. You might also wish to cc Michael Tokuru (mtokuru@sivb.com.sb), the Director of the Visitors' Bureau. Please bear in mind that these are senior civil servants, and are unlikely to respond to invective or rudeness. We hope, though, that if they receive enough politely worded and considered objections to the dolphin slaughter, pressure for action within the government can by increased.


Sorry if this is over-long, but it's a complex issue.

 

[Heg]

Thanks GrimSleeper for an excellent post and for providing contact details or those who may actually be able to make a change. I shall be contacting both to express my horror.

I am fully aware that the slaughter of dolphins, turtles, whales etc is still carried out in some cultures. I am after all, living in a country who's government refuse to protect the Cetaceans in their own seas, because they are terrified of the political and economic fall out if they make a stand against the killers.

In this instance, it was the sheer number of the dolphins slain that made this so abhorrent for me. There is a huge difference between killing a few dolphins for meat and senselessly slaughtering 700 of the creatures in 'protest' . It IS a complex issue, but action must be taken by the government of the Solomon Islands and this won't happen if the rest of the world doesn't voice their objections . I'm certainly struggling with my decision as to whether or not I should visit the Solomon's whilst this mass killing is being allowed to continue.