Fishing village rescues long snouted bottle-nose dolphin

By NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA Samar)
April 27, 2008

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  Villagers of the fishing village of Jiaan, Jiabong were mystified by the big sea mammal that ‘kumpadres’ Rolando Cupido and Pido Jabonero were towing to shore.

Rolly narrated that it was only on TV that he sees dolphins, nothing prepared him for the real big mammal that he saw weakly swimming near his fishpens.

He then asked the help of Pade Pido and the duo decided to inform the barangay officials what should be done. “We were worried that the dolphin may end up in the wrong hands and might be butchered instead“, said Cupido.

One teen-ager said he noticed the dolphin shedding tears. The tears were real as the poor sea-mammal was whimpering. Lola Rebecca Jabien, 70, said it was the first time she has seen a dolphin.

The villagers informed agricultural technicians Sidney Uy and Glicerio Meniano from Jiabong town who came immediately and in turn informed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Catbalogan City.

Mr. Juan Meniano, a fishery expert from the Samar Provincial Agriculture called on PIA-Samar to document the rescue efforts of the villagers. Together with BFAR and OPA, PIA mobiled to Barangay Jiaan.

The villagers especially the children enjoyed the spectacle the dolphin showed. It juggled the fish given by the villagers and flipped and flipped giving them a real but free show.

The dolphin measured eight feet in length and estimated to weigh some 70 kilos. It has a deep gray color. Meniano said that the dolphin could be two years old or more. He added that the dolphin maybe a little sick and was just looking for less salty water. That was when the fishermen spotted him. Dolphins, said Meniano can heal by themselves; they just have to be away from the playful children in the village that may cause the dolphin stress.

To recall, on April 26, 2007, some fishermen from Payao, Catbalogan were charged with violations of RA 8550, otherwise known as Fishery Act, the fishermen butchered and cooked the meat of two dolphins they caught from Samar Sea.

The fishermen from Jiaan are a different lot, they are aware that the dolphin is one of the endangered species and that they should be left alone. One teen-ager said he knows from the TV programs that dolphins are mammals and should be conserved.

Meniano gave a short lecture on the beach and instructed the fisherfolks assisted by the two ATs to tow the dolphin off shore and free it in the deeper Samar Sea.