Bells toll for the dugong

Living quickly as they do off the coast of Mozambique, dugongs have always been unaware of the human trouble coming in with the tide.

Mozambique’s Two Mile Reef in the Bazaruto Archipelago has been a protected marine park since 1998. However, in a country as poor as Mozambique, money can turn the tide. Since Chinese fishermen moved to Mozambican waters to fish for sharks, a Chinese delicacy, dugongs are often caught in fixed mesh nets scouring the ocean.

South African dugong expert Paul Dutton, who worked for the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the South African Nature Foundation in Bazaruto for five years, estimated that there are n mere 40 dugongs left. This is far lower than the estimated of 110 dugongs recorded by the World Wildlife Found For Nature (WWF) in 1990. “Sadly, these optimistic reports make it difficult to find support and improve management,” said Dutton.

The demise of the dugongs has not been brought about through hunting though. According to Dutton, “they get entangled in nets licensed by fishing authorities and, if caught, for instance by port captain in Vilankulo, they are eaten.” Dutton tells of a time this particular port captain tried to serve a dugong to President Chissano at a luncheon in

Inhassoro. “Fortunately, I managed to forewarn the president, and he was able to berate the captain.

Dugongs do have one ally thought: tourists. Since the end of the civil war, Mozambique has realized the economic importance of tourism, and the entire archipelago has been declared a national park by Chissano. His government has also realized the importance of total ban on gill nets, and the need for ecotourism.

“If some of the tourist income in this area could be used to promote the dugong as a flagship species, perhaps they can be spared extinction,” said Dutton.