Overfishing: Oceans Are Dying
This is the Hall of Fame for all around the world Sea Shepherd Conservation Society advocates. This is our tribute for supporting our cause and for defending the Oceans and
| Indian Ocean Cetacean Symposium begins in Maldives |
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| Sunday, 19 July 2009 19:27 | |||
The symposium on cetaceans, the collective name for whales, porpoises and dolphins, was officially inaugurated by Vice-President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik at a function organised by the marine research centre. In his introductory remarks at the function, Dr Mohamed Shiham Adam, director general at the centre, said 2009 marked 30 years for the Indian Ocean Sanctuary. The capture of cetaceans has been banned in the Maldives since 1993, he said. Addressing the symposium, Tourism Minister Ahmed Sawad said tourism in the Maldives had a very delicate relationship with the environment. “We are in the process of formulating regulations that will ensure that the relationship between industry, the environment and the common man is built on a sustainable platform,” he said. Dr Sawad referred to a conservation project in Baa atoll for whale sharks and manta rays, adding that the government had put a stop to a development project in the atoll after an advance payment had been made by investors. In his speech, Dr Waheed, the chief guest, said he was happy to welcome two “legendary figures” in cetacean research, Dr Sidney Holt and Dr Roger Payne, who were instrumental in establishing the Indian Ocean Sanctuary. The Maldives has never been a whaling nation, he continued, but foreign fishermen had hunted whales in its waters. Thousands of dolphins were being killed in the Indian Ocean, he said, and the declaration, if passed, would call for the conservation of the species. Dolphins were a migratory species, he continued, and the aim of the symposium was to highlight research on the subject and allow scientists to share their findings. All whales and dolphins are protected in Maldivian waters, and as a result of banning all pelagic gill-net and purse-seine fishing, there is no direct or incidental catch of cetaceans, according to the marine research centre website. "The Maldives is a sanctuary within the Sanctuary,” it reads. (From minivannews.com, Maldives, by Ahmed Naish) 
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The Indian Ocean Cetacean Symposium (IOCS), attended by scientists and researchers from across the world, commenced at Paradise Island Resort and Spa yesterday.
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