Fishermen, Italian investor clash over death of dolphins
By People Daily, April 27, 2021A row has erupted between fishermen in Kipini area, Tana River county and an Italian investor over the death of two dolphins and a sea turtle recently.
While the Kenyan fishermen have accused illegal trawlers owned by the investor of destroying marine life and fishing gear on the shores of Kipini, the investor, Basta Alessandro, has denied claims he had broken any laws.
Alessandro’s vessel, MV Roberto, was impounded for allegedly doing illegal fishing in the shallow waters. Very small fish, including the endangered guitarfish, were found inside the vessel, leading to the arrest of the captain and some crew members.
Highly valued
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials and members of the Kipini Beach Management Unit (BMU) found the three decomposing sea creatures as they patrolled the beaches.
Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas while sea turtles are water-inhabiting reptiles that glide through the coastal and deep-water regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.
They are highly valued by conservationists, and that is why Kipini Community members have urged the government to ban trawling activities in Kenyan waters to save the endangered marine species as well as secure the livelihoods of the local fisherfolk.
Fishermen in both Kipini and Malindi have also attributed the current acute shortage of fish to illegal fishing activities.
Awadh Mbarak Hassan, a member of Kipini BMU and environmentalist said they found the dolphins at Shekiko area but could not carry them because they had completely decomposed.
Hassan said KWS and BMU officials had patrolled Ras ya Mwana area where trawlers had been spotted doing fishing at Sadani fishing grounds where many turtles were found floating in the water but they only managed to get one that had been pushed to the shores of the Indian Ocean.
But Alessandro dismissed claims that he was flouting Kenyan fisheries laws, saying he is licensed to carry out prawn fishing activities along the Kenyan Coast.
He told journalists in Malindi that his company, Itika Limited, owns two ships that carry out fishing activities in the Kenyan side of the Indian Ocean. — KNA