Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Human-Dolphin Partnership Reserve

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish dept.

ahbe writes that the Myanmar government recently established a protected reserve for partnering between fisherman and wild dolphins. From the article: "The fascinating partnership involves fishermen summoning the dolphins to voluntarily herd schools of fish toward the boats and awaiting nets. With the aid of the river-dwelling dolphins, the fishermen can increase the size of their catches by threefold, and the dolphins appear to benefit by more easily preying on the cornered fish in both nets and on the muddy banks of the river."

3 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Dolphins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative
    If you are going to quote the good book, please get it right.

    For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.
  2. Re:Changing views on dolphin sentience? by jani · · Score: 4, Informative
    Now, however, that idea is totally gone from speculative fiction.


    The idea was picked up again by the Uplift trilogies by David Brin; Sundiver (1980), Startide Rising (1983) and The Uplift War (1987); Brightness Reef (1995), Infinity's Shore (1996) and Heaven's Reach (1998). I suppose that Startide Rising and The Uplift War are the most notable. Baby seals will cry if you don't buy these books, but nobody else. ;)

    And of course, we have Douglas Adams.

    I wouldn't call the idea "totally gone", just not overwhelmingly popular or compelling.
  3. Re:Tempting to call bullshit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    it ain't bullshit. I've seen a documentary showing it.

    the fishermen call the dolphins by hitting oars on the water. and don't ask me why, but dolphins do come (sometimes when they are around probably)
    and they donc get caught in the nets cause it's nets to catch short fishes and it's short nets. well what I saw on tv were short nets put by people, not with boats.

    and it's good for the dolphins cause they do get lots of fishes in the process.