While dolphins are renowned for their impressive leaps in the ocean, they are unable to jump their way out of floating fishing nets. It is believed that dolphins jump out of the water as an expression of joy or playfulness, but they are incapable of using these jumps to escape from nets unless they are trained to do so. This even happens to orcas, which can easily be ensnared by surface nets.
This unfortunate reality results in accidental deaths of dolphins when fishing boats attempt to catch the same school of fish that the dolphins are feeding on, or when fishing occurs above a tuna school that dolphins often follow from the surface. This fishing is not entirely accidental, as the boat performing the maneuver can see the dolphins and could, if desired, create a gap in the net for them to escape. However, since this would allow part of the catch to escape as well, it is not done.
In Argentina alone, it is estimated that around 400 dolphins die annually due to fishing nets. Many fishing companies worldwide have reached agreements with environmental organizations, placing inspectors on board their ships to ensure that dolphins are released from the nets. These products are distinguished in the market by the label “Save Dolphin.”
“One cannot defend what one does not love, and one cannot love what one does not know.”