There’s a problem which is known by not so many people around the world: fishermen are slaughtering dolphins, seals and otters to use them as bait. These species, already in jeopardy, are now in a danger even bigger. According to scientists there are at least 40 species of acquatic mammals being used as bait in more than 33 countries. Latin America and Africa are the zones in which the practice is most used: fishermen use dolphins to catch sharks.
According to the scientists who wrote the report – published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science – this problem has received no attention, although it is a behavior really widespread. Dr Vanessa Mintzer from the University of Florida understood how serious this issue is when she was writing her PhD dissertation, an investigation on the impact that this practice is having on Amazon’s dolphin populations. «Killing for use as bait – Dr Mintzer explained – is a primary threat affecting amazon river dolphins, known as botos».
We have no enough data understand what is the real condition of botos now, but it’s sure that slaughtering by fishermen is the biggest threat to their survival. « With this global review we wanted to see whether, and where, other species were killed for bait, and learn about possible solutions to stop the problem» claimed Dr. Mintzer.
Dr Mintzer and her colleagues’ work is even harder because the killing of marine life is generally a clandestine and illegal activity. «For scientists already working on species and locations identified as “hot spots” in this review, organised efforts should begin right away to estimate these numbers», Dr Mintzer said.
According to the researchers, policy makers must to enforce laws to protect the mammals in jeopardy. They also explained how important is that local fishing population’s activities are sustainable. «It took years to determine that the hunt for botos was unsustainable – said Dr Mintzer – and now conservation actions need to be expedited. We need to identify other affected populations now to facilitate timely conservation actions».
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