“1 and 2 and 3 and spin, spin, LEAP!” called Astaire. I’d stumbled upon a spinner dolphin dance class led by the legendary dolphin Astaire. He’s famous in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for coordinating spectacular shows, which can often be spotted on sunset cruises.

As I watched his troupe rehearse, I thought how their numbers had grown; there must have been 150 of them, spinning out of the water in time to the clack of a band of clams.

“It’s not always been the case,” Astaire said, coming to rest beside me. “Numbers around the world are falling dramatically – we’re lucky Maldivian waters are a safer space thanks to sustainable fishing techniques.”

Fishing for dolphins, I thought, who would do such a thing? “The fisherman usually aren’t after us,” Astaire corrected me. “Many dolphins get tangled in nets as unintentional ‘bycatch’.”

I’d heard bycatch horror stories from Grandfather Crustarka; nightmare tales of huge trawlers that would appear like monstrous shadows, blocking the sun as their hungry nets swept the sea below, consuming everything in their path from turtles to dolphins, sharks to mantas.

“1 and 2 and 3 and spin, spin, LEAP!” called Astaire. I’d stumbled upon a spinner dolphin dance class led by the legendary dolphin Astaire. He’s famous in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for coordinating spectacular shows, which can often be spotted on sunset cruises.

As I watched his troupe rehearse, I thought how their numbers had grown; there must have been 150 of them, spinning out of the water in time to the clack of a band of clams.

“It’s not always been the case,” Astaire said, coming to rest beside me. “Numbers around the world are falling dramatically – we’re lucky Maldivian waters are a safer space thanks to sustainable fishing techniques.”

Fishing for dolphins, I thought, who would do such a thing? “The fisherman usually aren’t after us,” Astaire corrected me. “Many dolphins get tangled in nets as unintentional ‘bycatch’.”

I’d heard bycatch horror stories from Grandfather Crustarka; nightmare tales of huge trawlers that would appear like monstrous shadows, blocking the sun as their hungry nets swept the sea below, consuming everything in their path from turtles to dolphins, sharks to mantas.

“Some estimates suggest that bycatch could amount to forty percent of the world’s annual catch,” said Astaire sadly, pausing to synchronise two pirouetting Spinners.

“Ninety percent of big fish have disappeared from global waters since 1950 and with swathes of nets all over the ocean tangling, injuring and even drowning us dolphins, it’s hardly surprising our numbers are dwindling in unprotected waters.”

I suddenly felt really disheartened.
Surely there must be a way to prevent this from happening?

Astaire remained as upbeat as ever. “Everyone can always do something!” he chirped. “Here at Landaa, almost all the fish served in the restaurants are caught by local fishermen. It provides income for the local economy, reduces the resort’s carbon footprint, and ensures a fresh, humanely caught catch. It also makes the waters safer for Spinners and our Bottlenose and Short-finned Pilot Whale cousins!”

And with one last pirouette, Astaire was gone, leaving his words dancing in my mind:
Everyone can always do something…

“Some estimates suggest that bycatch could amount to forty percent of the world’s annual catch,” said Astaire sadly, pausing to synchronise two pirouetting Spinners.

“Ninety percent of big fish have disappeared from global waters since 1950 and with swathes of nets all over the ocean tangling, injuring and even drowning us dolphins, it’s hardly surprising our numbers are dwindling in unprotected waters.”

I suddenly felt really disheartened.
Surely there must be a way to prevent this from happening?

Astaire remained as upbeat as ever. “Everyone can always do something!” he chirped. “Here at Landaa, almost all the fish served in the restaurants are caught by local fishermen. It provides income for the local economy, reduces the resort’s carbon footprint, and ensures a fresh, humanely caught catch. It also makes the waters safer for Spinners and our Bottlenose and Short-finned Pilot Whale cousins!”

And with one last pirouette, Astaire was gone, leaving his words dancing in my mind: Everyone can always do something…