The Moroccan Mediterranean coast is teeming with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), a sight that delights many locals and tourists. However, this traffic is the catalyst of serious concern for local fishermen, who depend on the industry for a living.
Frequent interactions between these dolphins and fishing professionals lead to considerable economic losses, as highlighted by numerous studies and data.
Also, these encounters often result in the incidental capture of dolphins, causing physical injuries or even death. This not only affects individual dolphins but also has a noticeable impact on their overall population.
The problem arises when bottlenose dolphins prey on the fish that fishermen are trying to catch, attracted by the way nets concentrate the fish in one place. This often leads to dolphins getting caught in the nets, causing them harm.
These interactions have been recorded not only in Morocco but also in several countries around the Mediterranean Sea, including Algeria, France, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia.
In the Mediterranean ports of Morocco, particularly in the port city of Al Hoceima, the purse-seine fishery for small pelagic fish is a major economic activity and is considered vital to the local economy. It supports 315 direct jobs and 100 indirect jobs, providing significant socio-economic benefits.
However, the presence of bottlenose dolphins along Morocco’s Mediterranean coast presents a major challenge. These dolphins, driven by the availability of prey, gather where fish are abundant, bringing them into conflict with fishing operations.
This isn’t just a bad deal for dolphins, facing potential caught, injury, or death from entanglement. It also squeezes the life out of local fisheries, hurting the efficiency and economic returns that keep fishing communities afloat.
The direct consequences of dolphin interaction are starkly evident in terms of quantity: in 2020, purse seiners from Al Hoceima undertook 315 fishing trips, yielding just over 669 tonnes in total— a significant drop from the 5,123 tonnes harvested in 2015. This decline vividly illustrates the impact on local jobs and the income of fishermen.
“When he attacks, we are sometimes left with only 10 to 20 sardine boxes” from a catch that can reach 400 boxes a day—”and each time huge damage to the nets,” grumbled Said Shaib, a boat-owner.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has reported that Moroccan fishers face up to 36% losses annually, with individual ships experiencing between 9% and 19% losses.
Besides, research based on field investigations has highlighted various types of net damage and economic losses to fishermen. This includes loss of catches and increased fuel usage, resulting from bottlenose dolphins preying on the fish caught in purse-seine nets.
As a result, fishermen often respond to dolphin interactions by retrieving their nets and moving to another area, while others could stop fishing altogether, anticipating the dolphins would leave the area after a few days.
Not only that, the frequent dolphin interactions have driven some fishing boats to relocate to Morocco’s Atlantic coast, where fishing is more profitable than in the depleted Mediterranean Sea.
This shift of course does not go without major repercussions, causing a significant loss of access to food resources and income for the fishermen and residents of Al Hoceima, said researchers.
Research further illustrated that Moroccan fishermen along the Mediterranean coast are increasingly frustrated by the detrimental effects of dolphin behavior on their industry.
This frustration is compounded by the losses and damages incurred from bottlenose dolphin predation on purse-seine catches, which include partial catch loss due to fish school disturbance increased fishing costs for fuel, equipment maintenance, and the necessity for additional trips to replace and repair nets.
The repair costs for fishing nets damaged by dolphin interactions can be substantial, averaging US$179.52 per repair, according to the same study.
Repairing these nets, especially for large holes, can be time-consuming, taking between 24 to 72 hours to complete. During this period, fishermen typically utilize spare nets and may need to hire between 3 to 11 net menders, depending on the severity of the damage.
Despite the plethora of challenges, resorting to killing dolphins is absolutely not the solution. The government prioritizes the protection of the bottlenose dolphin, a species safeguarded under a regional conservation agreement.
Morocco remains dedicated to upholding the preservation of this species, as evidenced by its commitment as a signatory to the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Contiguous Atlantic Area, known as ACCOBAMS.
Authorities have explored using ultrasound-emitting devices on fishing boats to deter bottlenose dolphins from purse seines, aiming to mitigate conflicts.
However, further research is needed on dolphin behavior and effective mitigation strategies, including alternative fishing techniques and the limitations of acoustic devices in preventing depredation by bottlenose dolphins.
Offering compensation could be another way to reduce economic losses from dolphin interactions and foster better relations between fishermen and dolphins, suggested the research paper.
Also, Moroccan authorities should explore methods to economically evaluate and compensate purse seiners for damages caused by bottlenose dolphins.
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