Thousands of dolphins dying in Solomon Islands hunts

New research published by the Royal Society has revealed that since 1976, over 15000 dolphins have been killed in dolphin drive hunts carried out in the Solomon Islands. Hunting was stopped for a few years but resumed in 2013 when over 1600 dolphin died.

The main species targeted are bottlenose, spotted and spinner dolphins. In the past, some dolphins were caught and then exported to marine parks such as Atlantis the Palm in Dubai. The research also shows that the local price for a dolphin tooth had risen 5 times since 2004, providing a further incentive for the hunts.

There are concerns that local populations of dolphins may be threatened by the hunting, most of which takes place around the island of Malaita.