Keeping_Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin_Solomon Islands

Emma_Hemmerle — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 23:34:03 +0000

Keeping_Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin_Solomon Islands Emma_Hemmerle Thu, 02/03/2022 - 23:34

Affiliation

IIED

Date Of Record Entry

Thu, 02/03/2022 - 12:00

Type of wild species covered by the record

Wild species used in its natural habitat

Stage of the value chain covered by the record

Unknown/not recorded

Record Source

“Grey” literature (e.g., NGO reports, case studies, non-detriment studies; project documents etc. (not necessarily peer-reviewed))

Non-detriment Finding For Tursiops Aduncus In The Solomon Islands

Unknown/not recorded

Is the species endemic HIDE

Population Status

Uncommon but wildly distributed

Formal international protection in place

International Level

CITES listing

National Level

No formal national protection in place

Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species

Residential and Commercial Development

Climate Change

Pollution

Transportation and Service Corridors

Disease

Illegal/Unregulated Fishing

Additional Details (if available)

accidental mortality through by-catch;

Population Trend

Unknown/not recorded

Sub-national Level

Unknown/not recorded

Additional Details (if available)

Bycatch is the dominant threat affecting Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins throughout their range. However, there are very few estimates of mortality rates or abundance over time to evaluate the severity of the impact. In Australia, the major threats include bycatch in trawls and gillnets as well as in shark nets set at popular coastal beaches to protect bathers (Hale 1997, Paterson, 1990).
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins are among the cetacean species most commonly kept in captivity in Asia (Wang et al. 1999, Reeves et al. 2003). Since the early 1960s, live-captures of T. aduncus for oceanarium display have occurred in many areas, including South Africa, Australia, Taiwan, Japan and Java (Best and Ross 1984, Tas’an and Leatherwood 1984, Reeves et al. 1994, Cawthorn and Gaskin 1984, Kasuya et al. 1984). Several diseases appear to be increasing in occurrence in coastal small cetaceans, raising concern for the health of these animals. Since the early 2000s, there have been several dolphin mortality events in Australia that have included T. aduncus (Kemper et al. 2016). In these events all the dolphins tested positive for the cetacean morbillivirus. Climate change, especially increases in sea surface temperature that are prevalent throughout coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, are negatively affecting coastal habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds used by Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins.

Name

Emma Hemmerlé

Scientific Name

Tursiops aduncus

Common Name(s)

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Type of Use

Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)

If extractive, for the target species, is this use

Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of

The whole entire organism

Details of parts/products taken

The dolphins in trade and being considered in this case study are taken from the wild in the Solomon Islands and are used mainly for commercial purposes. Thus far, exported dolphins have been purchased and imported by resort hotels or aquatic parks for display and/or interactive (swim-with-the-dolphins) programmes.

How is the primary use carried out?

Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources

Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?

Unknown/not recorded

Purpose of Use

Income generation from trade at individual or household or community

Recreational

Additional Details (if available)

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?

Keeping, display or breeding live animals and plants (e.g., pets, horticulture, zoos, botanic gardens)

What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?