Dr. Anita’s rather hysterical and personal insults printed in your paper on May 6th are certainly lively, but distort the truth badly.
Again the Solomon Star prints information without fact checking.
He asserts, for example, that there are lawsuits against Earth Island Institute from the aquarium industry in other countries, and then goes on to blame us for not working against other dolphin captures in these other countries — hardly logical or compelling.
He asserts he has FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) files on Ric O’Barry (spelled, Dr. Anita, with an “a” not an “e”), without mentioning that these issues are not in the least secret, and indeed have been exposed to millions who have seen the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove” as well as those thousands who have read Mr O’Barry’s books.
These are without merit.
Mr O’Barry has not been convicted of any crime.
Our bottom line is really simple and has no underlying agendas: We want to protect dolphins and whales around the world, and we are working around the world to see that these beautiful, sensitive and self-aware animals are protected. Yes, we are working in the US (which, in part thanks to our efforts, does not have the largest number of aquariums with dolphins in the world) against aquariums with dolphins, and in Russia, and in Europe, and in many other places.
Dolphin captures have been banned in the USA since 1989.
Aquariums with dolphins in the US ,Canada , and much of Europe are a dying and antiquated business from the last century.
The US Tuna fleet and industry is dolphin safe by US law.
Where is Anita getting his information?
Dr Anita can get $150,000 or more on the world market for a trained dolphin caught in the waters of the Solomon Islands.
That dolphin will spend the rest of its life in misery, ripped from its family, and will likely die young.
How much of each of Dr. Anita’s $150,000 fees really goes into the pockets of the people of the Solomon Islands?
By contrast, we are developing community projects to work and assist the people of the communities of Fanalei and Walande of Malaita.
The citizens of these communities will benefit from these projects as a whole.
We have also worked closely with the tuna fishing industry in the Solomon Islands, helping produce hundreds of jobs for people by promoting the Solomon’s tuna produced in the Dolphin Safe Western Province.
Tuna from Soltai and Trimarine is found in the European markets as Dolphin Safe, caught without harm to dolphins and other marine life.
The continued greed by dolphin dealers in Guadalcanal will prevent the establishment of dolphin safe tuna factories by Dong Won and Frabelle which are both dolphin safe approved by Earth Island and will begin operations ONLY when the dolphin captures and exports end.
So who is preventing job growth in Solomons? Certainly not Earth Island, but the govt of Solomons and the dolphin dealers by continuing the captures and selling of Solomon Islands wildlife.
So, who is really working in the best interests of the people and the dolphins of the Solomon Islands? We rest our case.
By Lawrence Makili , Ric O’Barry, and Mark Berman,
Earth Island Institute
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