Court ruling orders release of dolphins starring in Jeju show

Court ruling orders release of dolphins starring in Jeju show. April. 05, 2012 06:42. jy788@donga.com.

A Jeju Island court has ended a dolphin show in the Jeju capital of Seogwipo, ordering the release of several dolphins caught illegally.

Jeju District Court judge Kim Kyeong-seon ordered Pacific Land, a private dolphin show promotion corporation in Seogwipo, to release five dolphins used in the show.

The president of the company, who purchased the dolphins for the show, was also sentenced to eight months in prison with two years of probation, and another person was given three months in prison and two years of probation.

Between 2009 and August 2010, the company bought dolphins caught in waters off the island for 7 million (6,197 U.S. dollars) to 10 million won (8,853 dollars) each and used them in dolphin shows. It never reported the plan to the Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry ahead of the purchase.

Among the 11 dolphins the company caught, five died. Among the remaining dolphines, one was exchanged with Seoul Grand Park for two sea lions.

○ Releasing the dolphins?

If the Supreme Court upholds the verdict to release the dolphins, the government will take action to set them free into the sea. Who will supervise the release and the cost and methods have yet to be decided, but whether the dolphins will survive life at sea is the most critical issue. If those long trained to adapt to artificial waters are released to sea, they could have a higher risk of death, experts warn.

These dolphins need time to adapt to the sea. Certain experts say they should first be trained at coastal facilities, but concrete plans have yet to be made due to the absence of a precedent on location and food supply.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon ordered the release of one of the dolphins, Jedoli, and Seoul Grand Park is struggling with the preparation. The park will spend 800 million won (708,277 dollars) to release Jedoli off Jeju waters, but has yet to finalize the method and procedures.

Environmental and animal protection groups had demanded the dolphins` release and a ban on dolphin shows. One group named Hot Pink Dolphins said, "Capturing dolphins for entertainment and commercial profits should be banned."

Those who oppose the release cite education and mind-healing effects, adding the dolphins might not adapt to wildlife even with training.

Ahn Doo-hae, director of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, said, "It`s wrong to say releasing dolphins is good and holding them is bad," adding, "Illegal seizures should be eradicated, but visiting exhibitions and going to shows can offer research opportunities for a species with a huge number. This will create social value."

○ 114 dolphins live in Jeju waters

According to the dolphins research unit under the institute, 35 types of dolphins live in Korea. Among them, smaller species include the Pacific white-sided dolphin, common dolphin and porpoise.

The number of southern dolphin species living in Jeju waters is 114. The species is 2.6 meters long, weighs 230 kilograms, and has a life expectancy of 25-40 years. They are often caught in nets meant to catch squid, mackerel and flatfish.

Moon Dae-yeon, a marine life promotion director at the Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, said, "This dolphin is not an endangered species, but needs to be protected because only a small number of them exist."