Hobbies And Interests
Net Fishing
There are several types of nets used in commercial fishing that inadvertently trap dolphins. Surrounding nets have large netted walls that surround fish from both the sides and bottom, preventing them from escaping by diving downward. Seine nets are long nets that surround a certain area and are pulled by ropes at both ends, harvesting fish and posing a perilous risk to dolphins. Lift nets, which resemble a large ladle, and falling gears, such as cast nets that are thrown across the ocean and capture fish from the top, also trap dolphins. High seas drifting gillnets, which are approximately 40 feet deep and extend up to 40 miles, kill millions of marine animals, including dolphins.
Deliberate Hunt
Nets are used in deliberate hunts against dolphins. There have been confirmed dolphin harvests in South and East Asia and in parts of Africa and South America. Dolphins are also hunted with "drive-fishing" techniques, in which the animals are herded into nets. This is done by making loud banging sounds that disrupt their sensitive sonar and cause them to panic. Captured dolphins are sold to aquariums or marine parks, or they are killed and sold for their meat.
Yellow Fin Tuna
A portion of the Pacific Ocean, named the Eastern Tropical Pacific, extends from the Baja California Peninsula to Peru and is home to both dolphins and the yellow fin tuna. Both the dolphin and the tuna eat squid and other small fish, but they don't compete for the food. This area appears to be the only place in the world where this dynamic exists between these two creatures, but it is an anomaly that can be deadly for the dolphin. Fishermen hunting for tuna use the dolphins as locators of the tuna. They use purse seines to capture the tuna but the dolphin can be captured as well.
Dolphin Protection
Dolphin protection is offered under several national and international laws. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was originally begun in 1973 with 80 members and hit 175 members in 2009 with the addition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), passed in 1972, established a moratorium on the taking and importation of marine mammals as well as products taken from them. The Chinese River dolphin, the Indus River dolphin and the orca/killer whale are all on the endangered species list and are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed in 1973.