Bottlenose Dolphin Death - Appeal for information

[mister p]

The thing is, you don't know what you don't know. On the roads that is why adequate signage is required by law as is training. On the water when people proceed in ignorance, whilst it is not an excuse, they do not necessarily go out with the forethought of causing harm.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by teamplonker

If this is the case next time you are out on the water ask a few of the general or boating public what are the standards of behaviour required when interacting with dolphins in Uk waters,
And then maybe ask them if they know anything about the £2000 reward put up for finding the recent Padstow dolphin killer.
I am sure I know which one they will know more about.

The two go hand in hand. Yes they may not know EXACTLY what they should do to interact, but they presumably no know that going out in a pack of 20 boats to hunt one down might not be best practice...

If you have never been told how to act around dolphins or any other marine wild life how will you know.

Because the news headline prompts you to reflect on your own activities and think "Could that have been me? If I'd been out and come across a dolphin would I know what to do?" So then you go find out.

As I said before I cannot believe some one would purposely drive over a dolphin but when they swim under your boat as they often do an accident could happen.

I'd say the same about starving a child to death but apparently it does happen! However, I suspect if this was a human death that someone was being prosecuted for the charge would more likely be manslaughter than murder as I doubt they purposefully intended to harm the dolphin but it'd be fairly easy if you are in a pack of 20 boats to have the dolphin trapped uable to avoid a boat and the boat unable to avoid the dolphin.

Education not scare tactics.

You need people to realise they need eductated...

[Razorbill RIBs]

Originally Posted by teamplonker

I think you've missed my point so i'll explain

( England not Japan )
As a nation we do not slaughter dolphins.

( Probably an Accident )
Not a willful act

I think if you are looking to educate the general public to there legal requirements when interacting with dolphins, Offering a £2000 pound reward for info on the killer is not the way.

This is only giving sea shepard & Bob Archell’s Dive Master Insurance publicity.

Nope... I understood it all

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Siochair

The NSPCC was granted its Royal Charter in 1895, when Queen Victoria became its first Royal Patron. It did not change its title to "Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children" or similar, as the name NSPCC was already well established, and to avoid confusion with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), which had already existed for more than fifty years.

There you Go...

[teamplonker]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

The two go hand in hand. Yes they may not know EXACTLY what they should do to interact, but they presumably no know that going out in a pack of 20 boats to hunt one down might not be best practice...

[ Do we know they were on a dolphin hunt or could this not have just been a family day out, and they happened upon the dolphins. or do we believe everything the media tells us. ]


Because the news headline prompts you to reflect on your own activities and think "Could that have been me? If I'd been out and come across a dolphin would I know what to do?" So then you go find out.


[ Could the headline not have read ? Tragic Accident in camel estuary as juvenile dolphin is injured by propeller.
Then go on to explain how to act ]


I'd say the same about starving a child to death but apparently it does happen! However, I suspect if this was a human death that someone was being prosecuted for the charge would more likely be manslaughter than murder as I doubt they purposefully intended to harm the dolphin but it'd be fairly easy if you are in a pack of 20 boats to have the dolphin trapped uable to avoid a boat and the boat unable to avoid the dolphin.

[ There you go again presuming ( media induced presumption ) the Pack trapped the dolphin.

And I think it would not even be manslaughter as no phsyical evidence present I.E lack of a corpse. ]


You need people to realise they need eductated...

[ I Totally agree Education, and this sad event shows just how much the boating public need alot more.
But a full on head hunt is just great publicty for the companies who put up the reward.]

[Kernow Buoy]

BBC News - Skippers admit dolphin pod disturbance in Camel Estuary

[steco1958]

How could this judgement be classed as ignorant of the law !!

The skippers admitted that the pod was encircled, and then they were driving through the pod at speed. You don't need to know the law to understand this is WRONG !!!!

And the only thing they are getting is they have to have a course on boat handling around marine animals, its a joke !!!

My opinion only of course

Steve

[teamplonker]

Originally Posted by steco1958

How could this judgement be classed as ignorant of the law !!

The skippers admitted that the pod was encircled, and then they were driving through the pod at speed. You don't need to know the law to understand this is WRONG !!!!

And the only thing they are getting is they have to have a course on boat handling around marine animals, its a joke !!!

My opinion only of course

Steve

They probably already have great boat handling Skilled if the were SUPPOSED to ALLEGEDLY have drove at High speed through 25 boats that were encircling the pod.
Just my opinion of coarse.

[ShinyShoe]

OK so if you get pulled over for speeding, where you are required to know the law would you accept a Speed Awareness Course rather than points? I assume there is evidence they reduce re-offending hence why they are offered? Yet you already know the law.

They only appear to have admitted disturbing the pod rather than injuring it. I have no idea what the fine for disturbing the pod would have been but I'm guessing less than a tank of fuel. I suspect some education would reduce the risk and also has helped to publicise the fact that education is available which I certainly didn't know till the case came up...

So what punishment did you want to hit em with?

[Kernow Buoy]

Neither of the boats were implicated in the injury, there was no evidence against any of the skippers concerning the death/injury so yes they were prosecuted for the lesser offence of harassment. I believe there will now be a pr campaign using this case as an example of the do's & dont's.

[steco1958]

Originally Posted by teamplonker

They probably already have great boat handling Skilled if the were SUPPOSED to ALLEGEDLY have drove at High speed through 25 boats that were encircling the pod.
Just my opinion of coarse.

No Allegedly about it, thats what they admitted to within the report.

Quote from doc on the web site :-

"A police spokesman said they had seen video footage, photographs and witness statements that suggested a "high number of vessels encircled the pod" and remained within 59ft (18m) of them while other vessels "drove through the pod at speed".

[teamplonker]

Originally Posted by steco1958

No Allegedly about it, thats what they admitted to within the report.

Quote from doc on the web site :-

"A police spokesman said they had seen video footage, photographs and witness statements that suggested a "high number of vessels encircled the pod" and remained within 59ft (18m) of them while other vessels "drove through the pod at speed".

As I read it they did NOT ADMIT to Driving through 25 boats that were encircling the pod at speed.
The BBC report suggests they admitted disturbing the pod, Nothing more.
" The two skippers admitted reckless disturbance of the dolphins under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981."
Have you seen the video footage photographic evidence or witness statements that suggest what they did, I have not.

[Ribandmotorhome]

Very interesting read all this.
I had no idea it had even happened in the first place!!
I assume it must have happened whilst I was away at some point last year.

[AMac]

This sort of thing gets me angry
IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NOT AN EXCUSE
as a commercial operator of a sea safari business I would have been heavily fined if I behaved like these guys
It's is only common sense not to scare animals of any type
Driving a boat at them or around them will only scare them
During the past season I've had to have stern words with only a couple of boats who accepted they were in the wrong and apologised / took on board what was said
The only people I had problems with we're a couple of boat loads of marines who we're acting like nutters near some porpoise this year, flagged them down and got a load off verbal from them, fortunately I knew of the co, they were peeling tatties for the rest of the month!!

[ShinyShoe]

Its not.

But people speed on roads all the time and £100 fixed penalty a 3 points is the worst that happens unless you were really taking the p1$$. While clearly not every driver knows the law on road speed, the vast majority actually think the limit on a dual carriage way is 60mph not 70mph... few think its 60 in town...

So either you say that driving a car over the speed limit requires a tougher penalty or you accept that people will get it wrong sometimes and with some education will not get it quite so wrong again.