Peru - Dolphin advocacy organization Mundo Azul (Blue World) has succeeded in ridding the streets of their capital city of one more illegal dolphin meat dealer, bringing their total to four in the two short months since their investigation began. In a joint operation with the Department for Ecological Crimes of the Peruvian National Police, Mundo Azul is working round the clock to identify and capture dealers of cetacean meat in Peru.

Undercover investigators from Mundo Azul identified and observed the most recently captured culprit over a period of three weeks, during which time the man openly sold dolphin meat in the public market. The police seized 27 kilograms of dolphin meat in the arrest. When questioned, the man admitted to regularly selling the contraband and expressed no fear of being caught even though he knew his actions were illegal.

	Two illegally hunted dolphins slated for the black market. Photo: Austermühle/Mundo Azul.

Fishermen routinely round up the dolphins along Peru's coastline, sometimes within sight of public beaches. The dolphins are then slaughtered and their meat is sold on the black market to restaurants and local fish markets. The penalties for illegally killing and selling dolphin meat include a maximum of three years in jail but so far this has not deterred those willing to profit from the death of dolphins.

Illegal under Peruvian law since 1996, the capture, slaughter and sale of dolphin meat is still practiced in Peru due primarily to a lack of law enforcement resources. To learn more about Mundo Azul's efforts to keep dolphins off the menu in Peru, visit http://www.peru.com/mundoazul/. Related Story:

'Sea pork' sold at market really illegal dolphin meat