Animal rights report

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Dolphin hunting has a long tradition on the Faroe Islands.

(Bild: AFP)

According to estimates by animal rights activists, more than 100,000 dolphins, porpoises and small cetaceans are killed worldwide every year. Much higher numbers are suspected, but the exact scale cannot be estimated. The reasons for hunting are apparently manifold.

"It's a black box," said Sandra Altherr, biologist and scientific director at the animal welfare organization Pro Wildlife. Together with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the organization has drawn up a new analysis of dolphin capture.

Deteriorating situation
The report "Small Cetaceans - Even Bigger Problems" evaluates 250 studies and other sources. According to the report, the situation for dolphins and small cetaceans has worsened again in recent years. The hunting of the animals is driving some populations to the brink of extinction, according to the animal welfare organizations. The exploitation of dolphins and small cetaceans has increased further in recent years.

Dolphins are often killed to be used as bait.

(Bild: AFP)

The report cites various reasons for this: On the one hand, dolphins replace the lack of fish as a meal in certain poorer regions. Secondly, dolphins are increasingly used as bait, especially in commercial fisheries. The dismembered carcasses are said to attract sharks and catfish. In the past, dolphins caught as by-catch in fishing nets were mainly used for this purpose.

Dolphins as valuable bait
"However, this practice has increasingly developed into targeted hunting in recent years," said Nicola Hodgins, dolphin expert at the WDC. In some areas, the market value of dolphins as bait even exceeds their value as food. According to the information, around 15,000 dolphins and small cetaceans are killed in Peru every year, and almost 10,000 in Ghana.

Another reason for the increasing killing of dolphins is the overfishing of the world's oceans: fishermen kill the animals to eliminate alleged "competitors" for the dwindling fish stocks. "In view of the overfished state of the oceans, we fear that the killing of dolphins will increase even further," said Altherr.

The Boto is in danger of disappearing
According to the report, the situation of river dolphins in the Amazon region is particularly serious. "Every year, thousands of these endangered animals are slaughtered unnoticed to serve as bait for pirate fishing," said Altherr. In addition, the oil from the animals, which are also known as botos, has recently been used to treat coronavirus infections. "We run the risk of losing the boto altogether in the next few decades," said Altherr.

In addition to Peru and Ghana, the list of countries with the most dolphins and small cetaceans killed includes Nigeria, Brazil, Venezuela, Greenland and Taiwan. In regions such as Indonesia, the Philippines and the Tristao Islands (Guinea), the hunting and consumption of dolphins is a more recent practice.

Higher penalties demanded
The animal rights activists are urgently calling for global regulation of the hunting of dolphins and small cetaceans. Coastal states are being called upon to tighten up their national legislation and enforce it better. In addition, international agreements and programs must be urgently enforced to end illegal hunting and regulate authorized hunting.