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Watching's better than killing, says man who's done both
Posted on Wed, Oct. 22, 2003

Izumi Ishii, a Japanese dolphin-slayer turned dolphin-savior, came to Monterey this week to learn about the fine art of ecotourism.

"We need many, many years to catch up to Monterey," Ishii said through a translator on Tuesday.

Ishii has gained attention for boldly breaking ranks with his fellow dolphin hunters in the Japanese village of Futo. Now he is trying to turn dolphin watching into an even more profitable business.

With the aid of BlueVoice.org, a Petaluma-based environmental group, Ishii came to observe Monterey Bay Whale Watch, a Fisherman's Wharf company.

"I think it's such a rich environment for marine mammals," said Deborah Cutting of BlueVoice. "And it's so successful, it brings so many people here every year."

As fishing has declined in Monterey, tourism that touts the marine environment has become a dominant part of the economy. Several prominent sport fishing operations on Fisherman's Wharf now promote whale watching as their main attraction.

Commercial and sport fishing businesses in Monterey have suffered from tight government fishing limits, as well as natural impediments. Meanwhile, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, both established within the last 20 years, have created fertile territory for environmental tourism.

Nancy Black owns Monterey Bay Whale Watch, which recently bought Sam's Fishing Fleet on Fisherman's Wharf. Black took Ishii out on a whale watching trip on Monday where they saw a variety of marine life.

"He was really excited to see the dolphins," Black said. "Today we saw over 1,500 dolphins of two types."

The scion of a fishing family, Ishii hunted dolphins for 30 years. The protein-rich animals were long considered a delicacy in Japan.

Ishii turned on his peers in the fishing cooperative, though, when he found them to be in violation of limits on dolphin hunting. He complained but said his colleagues paid him no heed.

Meanwhile, Ishii said he was feeling remorse about his years of slaughtering dolphins. He believes that when he cut the animals' necks to kill them, they would cry.

Ishii came to believe that a dolphin is "not just a fish, but something more special," he said. "The symbol of the ocean."
By making dolphins into a potent symbol, Ishii hopes to create an economic model that can equal and even outpace the old days of hunting the animals for meat.

Ishii was joined in Monterey by Chiaki Inaba, a local government official from the Futo area who hopes to bring tourist money to the region through dolphin watching. On their journey with Monterey Bay Whale Watch, a Japanese film crew shot footage of them.

Before heading to meet with Monterey Mayor Dan Albert, Ishii took in the scenery from Fisherman's Wharf, and summed up his experience with the Monterey harbor.

DOLPHIN TRIALS ON NEW NETS LESSENS CARNAGE
Posted on October 14, 2003

A trial intended to stop dolphins becoming entangled in trawler nets has been so successful in cutting down the carnage off the South West's coast that foreign fisherman will be encouraged to adopt it.

The sad sight of dead dolphins being washed ashore after perishing in nets, has been a common one off the coast of South Devon in recent years.

But fisheries minister and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw said a trial involving Scottish bass fishermen who operate off the South West coast had been successful in reducing dolphin deaths.

The boats have been using separator grids on their nets with mesh too small to allow dolphins to get in.

The trial showed the death rate had been reduced on previous years. Two dolphins died in 82 hauls over a seven week period beginning in March this year, a significant reduction on the normal picture. In studies on boats that did not use the grid 28 dolphins died in 49 hauls.

"The grids mean the dolphins are too big to go through. They have been highly successful," said Mr Bradshaw.

"I am extremely pleased that these Scottish fishermen intend to use separator grids on a voluntary basis.

Mr Bradshaw now hopes French fishermen who operate in the waters off the South West will start taking the nets on board.

"Information from the trials will be shared with colleagues in France and the European Commission, as meaningful action to address this problem will require action on the part of all the member states involved in the fisheries concerned," he said.

"We are trying to raise awareness of this issue because it is not seen as a big problem in France."

Derek Dutchie, secretary of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association, whose members' vessels were chartered for the trials, said: "We will continue to work closely with scientists to further develop and improve this equipment to save the lives of marine mammals.

"At the same time we must encourage other UK fishermen, and those from other EU countries, to study the results of these trials which show we can fish and protect dolphins at the same time."

A British MEP is leading calls for an end to the use of sonar devices believed to cause the strandings and deaths of dolphins and whales.

Green MEP Caroline Lucas and other Euro MPs will deliver a 100,000 signature petition to Nato headquarters in Brussels on Monday calling for an EU-wide ban on the devices used to detect submarines.

Here are some comments from the August 2003 Trip from Bimini. A great adventure for everyone. Remember we have added a new date for January 10 - 16!

Thank you for this great week in this beautiful place. I didn't really know what to expect at first as it's just something unique, adventurious- to be with the nature...and it turned out to be an awesome experience that I enjoyed so much :-). It ,made me love those cute dolphins even more than I did before already...it's just o magificent to be that close to them and to watch into their eyes-one can't do anything else than to love them!!

Also a big thank you yo Cris for all the haed work with all those delicious meals you put together-no chance for keeping up with my diet at all... especially thank you for the suprise with that great birthday cake-it's been incredable!!!

Well I just loved to spend this week with all such incredible people in a so warm atmosphere- it's really been wonderful!! thank you for sharing these things with all of us!

Sarasota Bay dolphin escapes safely from crab trap
Posted on Thu, Oct. 30, 2003 By TOM BAYLES

SARASOTA -- Casper the bottlenose dolphin was out of trouble Wednesday after spending four days swimming about Sarasota Bay, dragging a crab trap behind.

"We just found the animal and the gear has come off of it, so we're pretty happy," Randall Wells, director of Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research, said Wednesday. "We found it south of the Cortez bridge with other dolphins and it appears to be fine and nothing is trailing from it at this point."

The 11-year-old male dolphin was spotted Sunday near Cortez wrapped up in the trap, and a round, white float attached to a line encircling its body.
The situation was considered life-threatening for the animal because entanglements can lead to exhaustion and cuts and can interfere with the ability to feed.

Boaters and scientists had reported seeing Casper near Marina Jack and in Big Pass on Sunday, but the scientists were unable remove the gear from the free-swimming dolphin. Scientists again searched for Casper on Monday without success.On Tuesday, four boats full of rescuers were hampered by bad weather and had to call off the search.

Mote's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program scientists have been studying the biology, behavior and health of Sarasota Bay's dolphins since 1970.

Casper has been tracked since he was born in 1992, the oldest of five calves.He and a younger brother and sister remain members of the local dolphin community of about 140 animals.

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More than a tour, it’s definitely an Adventure Tour Living in Ft. Lauderdale on the east coast of Florida, I don’t make much of an effort to travel to the west coast. This time, though, I wanted to do something different, along with a friend of mine. We decided to take the Naples Water Tour Company adventure tour out of Naples Florida. It turned out to be a carefree day trip from Ft. Lauderdale. The leisurely 1-1/2 hour drive took us across Alligator Alley along I-75, through the Florida Everglades straight to Naples Florida. The 75-cent toll covered the ride there, and the first exit headed us towards Historic Naples, and eventually to the docks where the tour began.

To find out more about this story, please read this article on TropicalAdventure.com. If you are outdoor lover, this would be a great trip for you.
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