President Torrijos
Presidency of the Republic,
Panama 1,
Republic of Panama

13 July 2006

Dear President Torrijos

In January 2006, the Marine Connection contacted the Panamanian Government after learning that a request had been put forward from Ocean Embassy Panama Inc. (OEP), under the control of Robin Friday, to capture 80 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). We were delighted that the Panamanian Government took the forward-thinking and responsible decision not to issue the Permit.

Therefore, you will understand our trepidation at recent information issued advising that OEP has again applied for a permit to capture at least 80 dolphins but this time under the guise of a scientific (health assessment) permit. OEP's use of the word "scientific" simply provides a convenient camouflage for the truth and despite this masquerade the situation remains the same as when OEP requested the Permit previously in 2006.

As explained in our previous letter, dated 18 January 2006, opposing these captures in 2006, bottlenose dolphins are listed under Annex II of the SPAW (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) Protocol to which Panama is a signatory, and Article 11 of this prohibits the capture of this species from the wild. Studies undertaken elsewhere in the Caribbean region indicate that bottlenose dolphin populations are smaller in number than in other areas of the world. Whilst the animals do occasionally congregate in large pods, the majority of the time they are in small groups of 3-8 animals, therefore a capture of 80 animals would have disastrous consequences on the population.

It has been proven that wild dolphin populations cannot withstand more than a 5% loss per year and natural losses through death alone can reach this height, therefore removing a further 80 dolphins would greatly compromise the structure of this population and endanger its' survival for the future. A fundamental point to note is that during capture operations it is not only captured animals which must be taken into consideration, but also any animals not removed which may die afterwards in the wild as a result of stress and injury or dependent calves whose mothers are captured that will die due to lack of food source and protection.

In addition, we are alarmed that the person proposing the captures was also rumoured to be linked to illegal captures of dolphins from the wild in the Solomon Islands a few years ago. Following this capture, the Solomon Islands Government received international condemnation for its actions and subsequently banned captures of dolphins from the wild in their waters. The Panamanian Government should therefore be aware of receiving similar criticism from the international community if it does not deny this permit. It would appear that this company again wants to exploit Panama as a new source for wild captures to continue trading in dolphins for their own profit but to the detriment of the wild dolphin populations of Panama as well as the environmental reputation of the country.

Dolphin and whale watching in the wild is one of the fastest growing tourist attractions in the world. Tourists are becoming much more reactive to poor environmental records and increasingly prefer to travel to areas which have environmentally friendly, sustainable and ethical roots. Panama is in a great position to develop its ethical whale and dolphin watching industry but this would be dramatically compromised if OEP's Permit is authorised. It has been proposed that the potential earning from a regional dolphin and whale watching industry of is approximately US$24 million annually.

I respectfully request clarification surrounding this situation, regarding whether OEP has requested a permit and if so, what type of permit has been applied for and for how many dolphins?

I urge the Panamanian Government not to authorise the capture of these animals for the sake of the wild dolphin population, the reputation of Panama and the lucrative potential for the Panamanian development of ethical wild dolphin watching.

Thank you for taking the time to read my correspondence, please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

I very much look forward to your clarification on this situation of great consequence.

Yours sincerely,

Andrina Murrell
Captivity Officer