14 DAY TRIAL // News from Brazil says that the country is now looking to impose a five-year moratorium on the catch of catfish. The move is intended to protect pink river dolphins, but not in a way one might expect.
Thus, as it turns out, Brazil does not want to ban the catch of catfish in an attempt to ensure that pink river dolphins in its rivers will have plenty to eat.
On the contrary, what the country is trying to prevent is fishermen's turning these marine mammals into catfish food.
Ecorazzi details that, when out to catch certain catfish known as piracatingas, fishermen in Brazil sometimes use pink dolphin meat as bait.
By the looks of it, this practice has contributed to a considerable decline in Brazil's pink dolphin population. Hence, it is expected that banning it will give the river mammals the opportunity to recover.
“In the Mamiraua Reserve, more than 1,500 freshwater dolphins are killed annually. Their numbers have continued to dwindle 10 percent each year since 2000 due to the ongoing slaughter,” says Nivia de Campo with a local environmental group.
Furthermore, “The pink dolphin is under threat, and if nothing is done to stop the killing it will become extinct,” she added. “That is why the moratorium is excellent news.”
Should things go according to plan, the moratorium will go into effect sometime next year.