(By Ernesto Cooke- News784) – Minister of Fisheries, Hon. Saboto Caesar has denounced the idea to establish a “Dolphin Park for persons to swim with the Dolphins”, as expressed by the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidate for East Kingstown, Mr. Fitz Bramble.
This country’s Minister of Fisheries noted that the world is moving away from having animals in captivity. There is a growing consensus that animals should be allowed to remain in their natural habitats. The Minister stated that he found it passing strange that Mr. Bramble was not aware of the global support to protect Dolphins from what is referred to as “Dolphin Prisons”.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to pride itself as a promoter of conservation while observing the historical and cultural harvesting of some marine mammals. The Government has moved to ban the slaughtering of turtles, outlawed shark finning, protected the Union Island Gecko, and has improved significantly the sustainable protection of the National Bird.
The Minister stated that many local and regional organisations have formally expressed their disgust with “Bramble’s proposal”. “I think that Mr. Bramble is divorced from many realities. When one speaks about dredging, without first mentioning that a detailed environmental impact assessment study has to be done; or about Dolphin Prisons in 2020, it leaves a lot to be desired. There is a delicate balance between the quest to pursue development on the one hand, and to conserve and preserve on the other, which must be carefully managed, especially in small fragile environmental eco-systems and small island developing states”, the Minister of Fisheries concluded.
Our research reveals that Canada has a ban on keeping Dolphins in captivity and that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has listed several species of marine mammals to be protected in accordance with international conventions and practices but requires greater enforcement.
Mr. Bramble has recently returned to the country from Canada where he resided for many years and is vying for candidacy.
