Dugongs And Dolphins To Pull In Tourists

[george]

Dugongs and dolphins to pull in tourists

SURAT THANI: -- Provincial officials in Surat Thani are eyeing up Phum Riang Bay as the province’s latest tourist attraction, hoping to pull in tourists eager to catch sight of rare dugongs and dolphins.

But conservationists have warned that the continued use of dragnets by local fishermen could have a devastating impact on the two species.

The presence of four different types of seaweed in Phum Riang Bay, an area in Chaiya district, means that it is an ideal place for spotting the dugongs which come to feed there. The area is also home to over 100 dolphins, including the extremely rare Irrawaddy dolphin.

But Mr. Pratheep Meetham, the head of the local dugong conservation society, says that two of the area’s 13 dugongs were killed by dragnets last year. The dugongs are also tracked down by hunters for their teeth and bones, which are used to make amulets.

Conservationists have now presented a petition to the provincial governor, in order that measures can be introduced to help save the rare marine mammals.

--TNA 2005-06-19

[mnoorsapl]

Dugongs and dolphins to pull in tourists 

" hoping to pull in tourists eager to catch sight of rare dugongs and dolphins."

--TNA 2005-06-19

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure about tourists but more likely conservationists