Italian Fishermen Strike Over Dolphins

Fishermen in Italy do not love dolphins right now, and this week a large group of them announced that they were going on strike unless the government does something about all the dolphins that the fishermen say are eating up all the seafood they're trying to catch.

According to The Local, the fishermen are blaming area dolphins for a 70-percent drop in their seafood hauls, because they say the dolphins are eating all the sea creatures and leaving none for the fishing boats. A Sicilian fishing consortium said that on average boats in the area used to bring in 25 pounds of squid every day, but now they're only bringing in three.

Area wildlife conservation authorities estimate that there are around 100 dolphins in the area, and the fishermen announced a two-day strike because they want the government to do something about the dolphin problem. The fishing consortium reportedly wants a "state of natural disaster" to be declared, and for a blockade to be erected and dolphins removed from the fishing area.

The conservationists announced that in a couple months several fishing boats will be able to try an acoustic device intended to drive away dolphins, but it remains to be seen how well that might work.