Amazon river dolphins used as bait and threatened with extinction

A survey conducted by researcher Sannie Brum in 35 fishing communities in a sustainable development reserve in the Purus river region, in the state of Amazonas, has disclosed that Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis), known locally as red or pink dolphins, are being killed and used as bait for piracatinga catfish (Calophysus macropterus).

Rejected by the fishermen themselves because it feeds on dead and putrefied meat, the piracatinga catfish is sold in markets in São Paulo, Paraná, and the Northeast, as well as other countries, like Colombia. In this trade, the piracatinga is nicknamed “douradinha” (Portuguese for “small golden one”). Since it is sold in fillets, it is often mistaken for a noble fish, the “dourada”, or gilded catfish.

Sannie Brum, a researcher from the Piagaçu Institute warns that, on the long run, this practice will lead to the dolphin’s extinction. “Action must be taken now – or this species will become extinct,” she said on Thursday (Feb. 13) to Agência Brasil.

The situation is aggravated by the dolphins’ slow breeding cycle. Their pregnancy lasts for ten months. After that, mothers nurse their young for up to four years, during which they do not breed. That makes it even slower for new dolphins to be born. Sannie Brum says that the death of a large number of specimens may make the preservation of the species impossible.

The very fishermen from the Purus river region have reported that 15 tons of fish are collected every year and 144 Amazon dolphins are estimated to be killed in the same period to be used as bait. “It’s outrageous,” the scholar said.

Apart from stricter and more regular inspections, Sannie Brum argues for the need to remind the population in protected areas that using the dolphins as bait is illegal. “People should be made aware of that.”

Carla Marques, Assistant Coordinator at the National Centre of Research and Preservation of Marine Mammals (“CMA”), connected to the Chico Mendes Institute for the Preservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), remarks that several international committees have been continuously reminding the Brazilian government of the importance of preserving Amazon river dolphins.

In her view, the problem is that the personnel available is not enough to monitor the region. The Chico Mendes Institute inspects area within the preservation units and the National Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (“Ibama”) is responsible for monitoring the areas outside the units. “Ibama has policies designed so that these practices do not happen, but ICMBio cannot act as the police,” she said.

Carla Marques notes that the government has launched campaigns to discourage this practice, with the support of the Center for Study and Research of the Amazon (Cepam), an institution which is also aware of how dolphins are being treated. She acknowledges, however, that “actions are local. Amazon can be called a world in itself. We can’t discourage everything.”

In Sannie Brum’s opinion, inspections are important, but it can only be the first step. “It should be carried out in a way that’s effective and open to discussion.” The researcher restated the need for a large-scale campaign in the local communities, so that residents can understand the role played by the Amazon river dolphin in the environment. The way it is today, fishermen see the dolphin as competition in their fishing activities. “We must change that. And that can only be achieved through education.” She plans to conduct a new study to find out what can serve as an alternative bait in the fishing of the piracatinga.

Carla Marques admits that, due to the “shortage of personnel”, finding an answer to this problem is not easy. She explains that institutions have too small a workforce to cover an area as large as the Amazon rainforest. She also stresses that some actions take place with help from the Federal Police and the local police, “but they’re local. We can’t be everywhere all the time. And the fishing continues.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira