Sunday, June 21, 2009

Concerns over boat-based Pink Dolphin watching




It has come to the attention of the Matsu's Fish Conservation Union (MFCU) that the Taiwan Cetacean Society would appear to be advocating boat-based dolphin watching of the critically endangered Eastern Taiwan Strait Humpback Dolphins. Both local and international cetacean experts at the Second [2007] International Workshop on Conservation and Research Needs of the Eastern Taiwan Straight Population of Indo-Pacific humpback Dolphins advised that boat-based dolphin watching of the Taiwan Pink Dolphins wasn't appropriate given their extremely threatened state and only land-based dolphin watching should be permitted and encouraged. The MFCU shares these views and actively promotes land-based dolphin watching of these critically endangered dolphins to help raise awareness of the plight of these unique dolphins. We strongly urge the Taiwan Cetacean Society to reconsider and the Taiwan authorities to act on the advice of cetacean experts and ensure that boat-loads of dolphin watchers aren't permitted near these dolphins poised on a knife edge between survival and extinction.

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