published December 9, 2010 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is investigating a dynamite fishing incident that caused the death of three Risso’s dolphins and severely injured another off the coast of Zumarraga, Samar last weekend.
Juan D. Albaladejo, BFAR regional director, said local fishermen who might have been behind the blast fishing slaughtered two of the dolphins that got entangled in their nets after the explosion and shared the meat with their neighbors.
The third dolphin, with a length of 1.5 meters, swam to Antiao River in Catbalogan, Samar but died Sunday afternoon despite recovery efforts by experts in Samar State University. The fourth dolphin was rescued in Villareal, Samar and is now under treatment.
"The one in Villareal is still alive and we have found out that it was pregnant. But the neonate came out dead already. Based on our past experience, the chance of survival is very low for stranded marine mammals," Mr. Albaladejo told BusinessWorld in a phone interview yesterday.
The surviving dolphin, with a length of two meters, was sighted Sunday by a BFAR water sampler in Barangay Cabagsan, Villareal town. The dolphin was given antibiotics and multivitamins.
Risso’s dolphins are identified by their robust, stocky bodies that are covered with scratches and scars. Their bodies become more slender behind the dorsal fin.
Under Fisheries Administrative Order 185 series of 1992 entitled "Ban on the taking or catching, selling, purchasing, possessing, transporting and exporting dolphins," the penalty is P500 to P5,000 and/or imprisonment of six months to four years.
Mr. Albaladejo said he has deployed personnel in Maqueda Bay to take part in the investigation.
Risso’s dolphins believed to have been victims of blast fishing were rescued off Maqueda Bay in Samar early last year but both died while undergoing treatment.
"The area has been known for rampant dynamite fishing," Mr. Albaladejo said. -- Sarwell Q. Meniano
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