Police rescue 20 dolphins in Western Province
RSIPF Boats in action during the rescue operation. Photo: RSIPF
Police rescued and released 20 dolphins from captivity at Rapata Village on Kolombangara island, Western Province on Wednesday.
Fourteen suspects were arrested in a joint operation by police and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
According to a police media statement, police and the fisheries ministry received information alleging that the dolphins had been trapped and kept for illegal export.
During the operation, police confiscated the traps used to capture the dolphins, said Chief Superintendent Mathias Lenialu, provincial police commander for Western Province.
Mr Lenialu called on the general public to refrain from such illegal practices.
The exportation of live fish is prohibited in the country by the Fisheries Act 1998.