Nature and EnvironmentGlobal issues
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Nature and EnvironmentGlobal issueshttps://p.dw.com/p/5GfIf
In Ghana, some 10,000 dolphins are killed each year even though the creatures have been legally protected there since 1971. In the west of the country, dolphin meat is an important source of food and income. In the small fishing village of Dixcove, the investigative team reported that dead dolphins are being landed daily. But filming was difficult. Local fishers are wary of journalists because they know that catching dolphins is outlawed. But European and Chinese trawler fleets overfish their waters, leaving small-scale fishers with little choice if they want to avoid ruin. Dolphins play an important role in marine ecosystems, but their numbers are dwindling. About one third of dolphin species are endangered. The Atlantic humpback dolphin is only found off the western coast of Africa. This species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species, and there are thought to be fewer than 3,000 left. The Saloum Delta, located in the south of Senegal, is home to the largest population of Atlantic humpback dolphins. These marine mammals have become the focus of a conservation program there. Researchers are monitoring their behavior and raising public awareness by visiting local schools and teaching children about the need to protect the species. Can this effort aid in the protection of Africa’s dolphins?
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