Nature Trust points at loopholes in regulations

Nature Trust is concerned that new regulations on marine mammals lack provisions on the welfare and management of live specimens when these are being replaced and replenished by dolphinaria and oceanaria.

This emerges from a series of objections the organisation has submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority over the regulations in question.

"We believe the regulation concerning the welfare and management of marine mammals in dolphinaria and oceanaria should be drafted and implemented following public consultation," NT said.

It was not right, it added, that the only dolphinarium in Malta was not regulated at all. This was unacceptable because the dolphins, being the first marine mammals imported by the only dolphinarium in Malta, were brought in more than a decade ago and were still not protected by local laws.

The Marine Mammals Protection Regulations, 2003, replacing 1992 regulations, lay down that "no person shall, directly or indirectly, pursue, take or attempt to take, maltreat or attempt to maltreat, kill or attempt to kill, possess, sell by any method, buy, exchange, re-introduce, import or export any specimen of species listed".