Shocking 7 Dolphins Trapped In Fisherman's Nets In Pacitan, East Java, Police Move To Check 4 ABK And Captain

JATIM - Pacitan Resort Police officers investigated the alleged capture of dolphins in the territorial waters of Pacitan Regency, East Java Province, after video footage of dolphin catching surfaced.

The head of the Pacitan Sector Police, AKP Sugeng Rusli Muslan, said the police had raided a boat suspected of being used to catch dolphins and brought four crew members, including the captain, to the police headquarters for questioning.

"During the raid, we did not find any dolphin carcasses on the deck of the ship except for fresh fish among the piles of ice in the box. However, we brought four people for investigation purposes," said Sugeng, who was involved in the raid operation. , Sunday, January 9th.

"We are conducting interrogations to prove whether there are any remains taken from the so-called dolphin," he said.

The police have been handling the case of the alleged dolphin capture since last Saturday. Police officers raided the ship with the support of personnel from the Navy. During the raid, police searched the boat and checked the fishing boxes on the deck, but found no dolphins inside.

According to the crew of the ship, Sugeng, the ship had carried seven dolphins that were caught in the net with other fish caught, but the marine mammal died because it had been trapped in the net for too long.

"It was found out that the dolphins were after the net was pulled. Now, it takes hours to pull the net. When it gets stuck, that's not understood," said Sugeng.

"Later, we will prove what it looks like. What is clear is that this item is now within the reach of the Criminal Investigation Department and intelligence. If it fulfills the (criminal) elements, it can go up to investigation," he added.

The case of catching dolphins in Pacitan waters surfaced after a crew member (ABK) uploaded a video recording of fish catches, including seven long-beaked dolphins (Stenella longirostris) measuring 1.5 meters.

According to Government Regulation Number 77 of 1999 concerning Preservation of Plant and Animal Species, all types of marine dolphins are protected.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals and Plants (CITES) includes most types of dolphins in Indonesia in Appendix II, a list of species that are not threatened with extinction but could become endangered if trade continues without regulation.