NewsWhore
03-19-2009, 07:40 PM
Five manatees, a protected and highly endangered marine mammal, have been found dead over the past six months in waters off Samana in the north of the Dominican Republic, according to a report from the Ministry of the Environment. The Ministry seeks to raise public awareness about protecting these docile animals.
This information is contained in a report after Tuesday's discovery of another dead manatee, an inhabitant of tropical rivers, in the Colorao River mangroves near Sanchez in Samana province.
The police have detained one person in connection with the death of the 2.5 meter adult female that was found wrapped in an illegal fishing net, with trauma and cuts caused by the dragnet and tied in a rope.
Ministry experts believe that the mammal was trapped alive and taken to the spot where she was found, possibly four or five days ago. The female was found in an advanced state of decomposition after local fishermen complained to the local environmental authorities.
This is the second female manatee that has been found in Sanchez area in less than a week, according to a Ministry press release. The use of illegal dragnets by some fishermen in Sanchez and Sabana de la Mar is the principal cause of death of these marine mammals. Over the last two months, inspectors and specialists from the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources have seized more than 100 illegal nets and outboard motors that were being used in this "destructive and criminal" type of fishing.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
This information is contained in a report after Tuesday's discovery of another dead manatee, an inhabitant of tropical rivers, in the Colorao River mangroves near Sanchez in Samana province.
The police have detained one person in connection with the death of the 2.5 meter adult female that was found wrapped in an illegal fishing net, with trauma and cuts caused by the dragnet and tied in a rope.
Ministry experts believe that the mammal was trapped alive and taken to the spot where she was found, possibly four or five days ago. The female was found in an advanced state of decomposition after local fishermen complained to the local environmental authorities.
This is the second female manatee that has been found in Sanchez area in less than a week, according to a Ministry press release. The use of illegal dragnets by some fishermen in Sanchez and Sabana de la Mar is the principal cause of death of these marine mammals. Over the last two months, inspectors and specialists from the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources have seized more than 100 illegal nets and outboard motors that were being used in this "destructive and criminal" type of fishing.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)