A Man With A Missionff

All the way from the United States of America Mark Berman comes here with a mission - to stop dolphin leaving the Solomons and boost tuna export.

Mr. Berman, who is the Associate Director of International Mammal Project of the Earth Island Institute, is unknown in the Solomons but behind the scene he directly helps to earn foreign cash through marketing the country’s tuna abroad.

This week, the American was in town purposely to get government assurance that dolphin export won’t happen again.

Working in partnership with his local colleague and environmental activist Lawrence Makili, the two men were able to get what they wanted.

In his very words, Mr. Berman said “exporting dolphins only benefits one man and exploits the mammal while tuna the entire country benefits”.

The Solomons was on the blacklist of major importers of our tuna after the country exported more than 20 dolphins in 2003.

Soltai was struggling to find market as importers refused to buy its tuna because Solomon Islands was exploiting dolphins.

The $100m business was reeling - forcing the government to legalize the ban of dolphin export this week.

Today the company sees the green light again only after the Earth Island Institute has intervened.

Earth Island Institute (EII), founded in 1982 by veteran environmentalist David Brower, fosters the efforts of creative individuals by providing organizational support in developing projects for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the global environment.

EII provides activists the freedom to develop program ideas, supported by services to help them pursue those ideas, with a minimum of bureaucracy.

Earth Island’s Project Network consists of more than 30 projects worldwide. Through innovative education and activist campaigns, they are addressing many of the most pressing social and environmental issues:

* Protecting rain forests, marine mammals, sea turtles, and indigenous lands
* Promoting organic and sustainable agriculture, ecological paper alternatives, and the emerging Russian environmental movement
* Pursuing community-based habitat restoration, reduction of marine pollution, and development of urban multicultural environmental leadership.

Mr. Berman’s area of concern is with marine mammal. He’s been here once and his second trip is to tell the people that EII does not only want to stop dolphin exporting but opens a window of opportunity for Solomon Islands in other areas.

Today, Mr. Berman is in Noro where he’s working with Soltai to capitalize on the global interest of its tuna.

Soltai is now on EII’s clearance list which means that through those companies in the U.S, EU and even Asia can now import tuna from the Solomons.

He says any importer who wants to buy tuna from any countries has to get clearance from EII. “If a country is blacklisted on our list then certainly it won't have its tuna imported,” he said.

Mr. Berman says many countries don’t want to buy tuna where dolphin is exploited.

A few days in Honiara, Berman was glad that the goal of his mission here is now being achieved.

Mr. Berman praised the government for taking the right decision to gazette its ban on dolphin export. He says the decision is very vital because it opens the door for Solomon Islands to export its tuna.

Mr. Berman told the Solomon Star this week that tuna is a big business here and the country stands to lose millions of dollars if the government does not ban the export of dolphins.

”I am pleased that the government will now gazette the ban,” Berman said.

The American said certainly the gazetting of the ban will open new markets and new opportunities for the country's tuna industry.

The government is expected to gazette the ban this day, which will legalize the cabinet decision.

The government under enormous pressure agreed to ban the export of dolphin.
 

In Parliament this week, Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza said his government has not stopped dolphin hunting for cultural purposes and for consumption.

Dolphin is being hunted on certain parts of Malaita with its teeth being used for bride prize and necklaces.

Whilst Mr. Berman has not touched on that he will go back a happy man that his mission is a success.  He says the gazette is good news not only to him but to Solomon Islands.

Whilst Berman heads back to the bright lights of the States his local counterpart Makili will keep a close guard on the dolphin saga. It’s his hope that dolphins will never be exported again from the Solomons.

Source: Solomon Press