Former dolphin killing in Peru

The consumption of dolphin meat was not originally a Peruvian custom. It was introduced to Peru by Italian settlers in the 1960s, when fishermen began landing small numbers of dolphins that had been caught accidentally in fishing nets. They began to sell dolphin meat under the name “Muchame,” after a typical Italian dish made of dried muscle meat extracted from the dorsal part of the dolphin and served as an appetizer.

After overfishing of sardines led to the the first big fisheries crash in 1970, Peruvians turned to dolphin meat as a cheap source for protein. Dolphin catches climbed dramatically, and the commercialization of small cetaceans increased further. By the early 1980s, six species (the dusky dolphin, Burmeister’s porpoise, both short-beaked and long-beaked common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, and pilot whale) were being openly fished.

In 1985, Biologist David Gaskin surveyed some small ports in Peru and estimated the total annual cetacean consumption at approximately 10,000 specimens. In 1989, the Peruvian population of dusky dolphins was declared by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Cetacean Specialist Group to be at risk of extinction. On 23 November 1990, the Peruvian Ministry of Fisheries passed Resolution No. 569-90-PE, which prohibited the extraction of dolphin meat. Apparently estimating that legal prohibition would prevent further dolphin kills, the government stopped collecting data on port landings (see table above) but failed to enforce this resolution.

A private inspection of ports and fish markets in 1993 found that the trade in dolphin meat had increased from 15,000 to 20,000 dolphins annually. On 5 August 1994, in response to these findings, the Ministry of Fisheries passed Resolution No. 321-94-PE, which prohibited the extraction, processing, and commercialization of small cetaceans. Again, however, the government failed to enforce the regulation.

In 1995, the Peruvian NGO Cruzada por la Vida launched a public education campaign against the slaughter of small cetaceans in Peru. Led by Nina Pardo and Olga Rey (both foundation members of Mundo Azul), this campaign resulted in Peruvian Congress’s 2 April 1996 passage of Law No. 26585, which prohibited the extraction, processing, and commercialization of several dolphin species. Thanks to this law and the success of the Cruzada por la Vida campaign, the consumption of dolphin meat dropped dramatically and it was removed from supermarket shelves.

Despite this milestone, we estimate that up to 3,000 dolphins are still killed illegally in Peru each year for human consumption. Mundo Azul volunteers are engaged in undercover investigation of illegal sales of dolphin meat. We collect and provide intelligence to the Peruvian police and actively support the implementation of police raids. We also supporte the Peruvian police through capacity building. Further, Mundo Azul volunteers work tirelessly to raise public awareness and provide environmental education as part of our dolphin conservation campaign. We also engage in dolphin research, which provides important baseline information for conservation planning. Finally, we work to promote whale and dolphin watching as sustainable economic alternatives to illegal dolphin killing.

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Page author: Stefan Austermühle

Reviewed by: Janet K. Hawkins

Last updated: 2010.06.20

What you can do to stop the dolphin slaughter in Peru

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