Gone fishin’—piloting community supported fisheries at Google

Google Green blog, 7/29/11

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

I've always loved the ocean—I was born in Shanghai, which means "upon the sea.” And as a chef, I'm always drawn to food that claims a spirit of place. After moving to California, near Half Moon Bay, I began visiting the docks to buy seafood, and got to know the fishermen.

Over time, it became evident to me that this part of our food supply is broken: many consumers purchase stale, unsustainably-raised fish from chain grocers. Meanwhile, fishermen often sell their diminishing catch to wholesalers at a very low profit, meaning their livelihoods are no longer sustained by their catch. There’s also the environmental factor to consider: Overfishing and illegal practices cause worldwide decline in ocean wildlife populations and wreak havoc on underwater habitats—not to mention the carbon footprint of transporting seafood far from its origin.

Google’s chefs have long been committed to sourcing food for our cafes as locally, seasonally and organically as possible. And in our Mountain View headquarters, many employees cook with the same ingredients at home thanks to on-site Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. When I joined the team as an executive chef in Mountain View, I wanted to make a difference in our purchasing program for seafood. For the five years leading up to then, I wrote a column for the San Francisco Chronicle called “Seafood by the Season,” and I knew it could be done. In early 2010, we began a push to apply the most rigorous standards to our seafood-buying practices, and respond to the in-the-moment fluctuations of the catch from small, independent fishermen.

Things took off from there. My colleague Quentin Topping dreamed of providing the same high-quality seafood we serve in our cafes for Googlers to take home to their families. That idea became the Google Community Supported Fishery (CSF), which we launched in May 2011. In this program, Googlers sign up to purchase a weekly supply of local, sustainable seafood, supplied through a partnership with the Half Moon Bay (HMB) Fisherman’s Association.

The Google Culinary team on a visit with fishermen in Half Moon Bay,
Calif. — Quentin and I are the second and third from the left, in black.

We tend to think on a massive scale at Google—whether it’s how to deliver instant search results around the globe or help thousands of small businesses get online—but when it comes to feeding our employees at work and at home, it really comes down to a local touch. Knowing where our seafood, meat and produce come from, as well as knowing how they’re raised, farmed or harvested, makes all the difference in the on-the-ground work of sustainability. We see many bright spots ahead for our Community Supported Agriculture and Fishery programs, such as expansion to other offices and adding a grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry program. It’s exciting to work someplace where we can think big and local.

We know of two CSFs in the Bay Area. The Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Association supplies only Google at the moment, but will soon add public drop-off sites—keep posted by visiting Farmigo.com. The other is CSea out of Bodega Bay. If you live elsewhere, we hope you’ll consider stepping up to create one in your area.

And even if you don’t live near the ocean or have direct access to fresh-caught seafood, the choices you make about what fish to purchase or order in restaurants can make a real difference. You may want to consider following the guidelines that we used for our Google Green Seafood policy: Whenever possible, purchase species caught locally and in-season, by small, independent fisher-families, using environmentally-responsible methods. We think it’s important to be responsive to the fluctuations of catch too, and source from fisheries that enforce catch limits or are guided by ecosystem-based management programs. As for us, we’ll continue to research and source responsibly managed farmed seafood, and always keep transparency and Googler health at the center of our program.

Posted by Liv Wu, Executive Chef

Indonesian fishermen find body of American surfer

The Jakarta Post, Associated Press, Jakarta | Fri, 07/29/2011

Washed ashore: This May 2008 file photo provided by family friend Maurice
 Mitchell shows Daniel Bobis on his wedding day in Point Lookout, N.Y. Bobis,
 32, a math teacher and coach at Long Beach High School in New York,
 disappeared during an apparent surfing accident off the coast of western
 Indonesia on July 24, 2011. Local fishermen say they found his body about 20 miles
 (30 kilometers) from where he's last been seen.  (AP/courtesy of Maurice Mitchell,
Allison Caviness)

Localfishermen Thursday found the body of an American surfer who went missing lastweekend in waters off western Indonesia.

DanielBobis apparently hit another surfer's board after emerging from the barrel of apowerful, 10-foot (3-meter) wave. His leash broke and his board washed toshore. A member of the search and rescue team said Bobis' body was found about20 miles (32 kilometers) from where he'd last been seen.

Bobis, 32,was a math teacher and coach at Long Beach High School in New York. He had beenvacationing with his wife, Rachel, on Sumatra island. She did not wish tocomment.

Friends inLong Beach, a seaside community on Long Island, said Bobis had seeminglyboundless energy. He played drums in a band, taught karate and was anenvironmental activist. At the school, he started a competitive surf team andwas head coach.

"Everybody'smourning," said Teresa Greifenberger, 53, whose son Jonathan is on thesurf team.

Schoolstaff members were calling bereaved students to let them know counselors wereavailable, she said. Some of the surfers were planning to paddle into the surfThursday evening and observe a moment of silence, she added.

SeanPearsall, 32, called Bobis a close friend. He said the news was devastating butthere was a measure of relief that his body was found.

"He wassuch a staple in the community," he said. "There were just so manypeople whose lives he touched. He did more in 32 years than most people do in80. He definitely lived his life to the fullest and that's how he was everyday."

His friendsare planning a benefit for the family in September. Pearsall said they alreadyhad an overwhelming response from individuals and businesses eager to donateitems for a raffle.

"Heknew the power of the ocean," Pearsall said, adding that Bobis was anextremely experienced surfer and swimmer.

"Itjust goes to show you that Mother Nature calls the shots, unfortunately."

Following the sun

The Jakarta Post, Associated Press, Manila, The Philippines, Wed, 07/27/2011

Following the sun: A solar-powered boat, M/S Turanor Planet Solar, is docked
for a welcoming ceremony at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila on
Wednesday. The multi-hulled vessel is in the Philippine Islands on its continuing
 voyage that began on September 27, 2010 in Monaco, in an attempt to
circumnavigate the world using only solar power. (AP/Bullit Marquez)

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Seventeen yachts competing to reach finish line in Ambon

Antara News, Tue, July 26 2011

Ambon(ANTARA News) - Seventeen yachts in their international race from Darwin (NorthAustralia) to Ambon, Maluku province are competing to reach the finish line inthe coast of Amahusu village, Nusaniwe sub-district, Ambon.

"Theparticipants are competing making use of the strong wind to reach the finishline in the Amahusu village coast," coordinator of the Darwin-Ambon YachtRace & Rally 2011 Hellen de Lima told ANTARA on Monday.

He said themonitoring committee disclosed that the sail boat Fantasia with skipper AndrewStransky was leading the race.

Since theflag off at Darwin port, Fantasia from Brisbane, Australia, managed to lead therace.

Sinceentering the Indonesian waters, Fantasia of the Racing Multihull category madeuse of the wind velocity of 13.45 knots per hour.

But sincepassing the waters between Babar Island and Romang Island, Southeast Malukuregency, Fantasia sailed with a wind velocity of only 10.52 knots per hour.

Anotherparticipant Walk On The Wild Side with skipper Garth Curran and Australian Maid(John Wardil) are second and third.

Walk On TheWild Side moved with the wind blowing at a velocity of 9.20 knots per hour,while Australian Maid 9.51 knots per hour.

The twosail boats were known to win various international yacht races, the last beforethe Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race & Rally 2011, the two won Visit IndonesiaFremantle-Bali International Yacht Race 2011.

In themeantime, Freedom Express with skipper Ross McCombe, the third as RacingMultihull category in the Darwin-Ambon Yacht Race & Rally 2010, was fourthof the total of 17 participants in the event.

FreedomExpress sailed with the wind blowing at a velocity of 9.40 knots per hour,followed by Sue Sea (Brian Todd) 9.29 knots per hour.

Game Set(John Mulkearns) was trailing with the wind blowing at a velocity of 8.49 knotsper hour, followed by Even Karma (John Hard) 8.44 knots per hour.

"Mostof the participants have entered Southwest Maluku regency waters and the BandaSea, where some of the participants may have reached the finish line to night(Tuesday) or Wednesday morning," Hellen said.

The annualevent was held to fill this year`s Darwin-Ambon sister city cooperation programfollowed by 19 participants, in which 18 participants dame from Australia, andthe other one from the Netherlands, covering 634 nautical miles, the equivalentof 1,174.68 kilometers.

The flagoff of the participants was marked with start sign from on board the HMASArarat (89) patrol boat in Darwin port by Ambon Mayor Jopi Papilaja and DarwinGovernor Tom Pauling on July 23, 2011.

The yachtrace is competing four categories, namely racing monohull (IRC) followed by sixyachts, racing monohull cruising (six yachts), racing multihull (five) andrally (two).

The race isto win the cup of the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism, was for thefirst time held in 1976 in an attempt to establish cooperation between theDarwin and Ambon administrations.

In 2009 thenumber of participants reached 100 yachts, but was later canceled as Ambon andMaluku were involved in a social conflict, and revived only in 2007.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

Gaza fishermen: 'They will fire bullets and shoot water at me' - video

Our reporters experience first hand Israeli efforts to intimidate Gaza fishermen and keep their fishing trips ever closer to shore

guardian.co.uk, Harriet Sherwood and Mat Heywood, Sunday 24 July 2011

Maritime countries agree first ever shipping emissions regulation

Butcampaigners warn rules only apply to new ships replacing older ones – anddeveloping countries have six-year waiver

Guardian, John Vidal, environment editor, Monday 18 July 2011

Maritime countries have agreed to regulate shipping emissions – but
 campaigners warn the rules don't go far enough. Photograph: David
Levene for the Guardian

Countrieshave taken a first step towards reducing climate emissions from shipping with aglobal agreement to reduce energy use in new vessels from 2013 onwards.

The belatedaction on Friday by 55 of the world's biggest sea-faring nations meeting at UN's international maritime organisation in London will force all ships over400 tonnes built after 2013 to improve their efficiency by 10%, rising to 20%between 2020 and 2024 and 30% for ships delivered after 2024. The first everregulation of emissions in shipping is expected to lead to greenhouse gasemission reductions of 45-50m tonnes a year by 2020.

But China,Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa have secured a six and a half year delayfor new ships registered in developing countries, which could mean the firstguaranteed effective date of the reform will be in 2019. Shipping accounts for3-4% percent of man-made CO2 emissions worldwide and this figure is expected torise to 6% by 2020, with emissions doubling by 2050 if no action is taken. Shipowners,who traditionally do not pay for the fuel that their ships use, have longresisted any regulation despite increasing pressure from environmental groupsand reformers within the industry.

EnvironmentalNGOs welcomed the tightening of the energy efficiency design index (EEDI)standard but cautioned that because it only applies to new ships replacingolder ones at the end of their long lives, the full effects of today's decisionwill take a long time to have any major impact. There is a significant danger,said some, that many shipowners will elect to have their new ships flagged indeveloping countries that provide a waiver.

"Today'sdecision should result in fuel savings of $5bn a year by 2020 and CO2reductions of 22m tons. This is an unprecedented economic and environmentalopportunity and the IMO has taken an important step forward", said PeterBoyd, COO of Carbon War Room.

If the samestandards were applied to the existing fleet of more than 30,000 ocean-goingships it could save $50bn a year in fuel and 220m tons of CO2, he said.

"Therewill be no change to existing ships which are currently pumping out a billiontones of CO2 each year, and for new ships it will take another dozen yearsuntil the EEDI is really delivering benefits. Operational changes could bedelivering major benefits today," said Jacqueline Savitz, the seniorcampaign director for the marine conservation NGO Oceana.

Theefficiency improvements are expected to be met through better engine design,more efficient hull shapes, improved waste heat recovery systems and the use ofhull coatings to make ships more "slippery".

The deal isnot likely to satisfy the European Commission that the maritime organisation issuccessfully regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The EC is therefore expectedto proceed with its threat to bring shipping into the Emissions Trading Scheme,as it is doing in aviation, where there have been recent legal challenges fromnon-European countries.

In aseparate development on Friday, the European Commission said it plans to tighten ship fuel sulphur regulations, which should lead to public healthsavings of billions of dollars, especially in countries like Britain andHolland that border busy sea lanes. The proposal would cut the maximumpermissible sulphur content of fuels to 0.1% from 1.5% from 2015 in sensitiveareas such as the Baltic Sea and the Channel, and to 0.5% from 4.5% in allother areas from 2020.

Shippingburns some of the most polluting fuels, and the proposal is expected to fineparticle emissions from ships by up to 80 percent, the commission said.

Theexpected cost to the shipping industry of the new standards is between €2.6bnand €11bn ($3.7-$15.6bn), which the EU executive argues would be far outweighedby public health savings, of up to €34bn

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Govt to build marine conservation school in Wakatobi

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 07/16/2011

Indonesiawill establish the School for Marine Conservation (SMC) in Wakatobi, SoutheastSulawesi, to produce experts who will help the country preserve its naturalresources, especially the ocean.

Fisheriesand Maritime Affairs Minister Fadel Muhammad laid the foundation stone for thecenter's building, marking the start of construction on Saturday.

He said thecenter would train many new officers to manage water conservation areasnationwide, which are expected to reach 20 million hectares by 2020 accordingto government plans.

“We willneed up to 5,000 competent and professional people to manage the conservationareas,” Fadel was quoted as saying Saturday by Antara news agency.

He said thetraining center would offer students three major fields of study: conservationmanagement, biodiversity and ocean engineering.

“The schoolwill accommodate 400 students, 50 lecturers, 50 members of staff and 2,000trainees,” Fadel said.

He addedthat the government chose Wakatobi as the site for the school as it sat at thecenter of world’s coral triangle and had rich natural resources. Wakatobi isalso home to a 1.39-hectare national marine park with diverse coral reefs.

Alaskans smuggled walrus tusks and polar bear hides

BBC News, 16July 2011

RelatedStories 

• Ten walrus wonders

TwoAlaskans have pleaded guilty to illegally trading the tusks of about 100walruses with Eskimo hunters.

Indigenous Alaskans are allowed to hunt
walruses for food

The pairwere arrested in April with the ivory tusks, along with two polar bear hides.

They hadswapped the animal parts with the hunters in exchange for money, guns,cigarettes and at least one snowmobile.

IndigenousAlaskans are allowed to hunt walruses but they are not permitted to sell thetusks.

The stateprosecutor declined to comment on whether the hunters would also be charged,according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Prosecutorssay this is Alaska's biggest wildlife trafficking case for nearly two decades.

A thirddefendant is expected to plead guilty to similar charges next week.

The threehad obtained about 500 pounds (227kg) of walrus tusks from Yup'ik Eskimohunters in the village of Savoonga, court documents say.

The pairpleaded guilty under a plea bargain and prosecutors have asked for prison termsof at least five years.

Two of thedefendants asked for permission to get married before they are sentenced inNovember.

They fearthat if they are not married, they will not be able to send letters to eachother in separate prisons.

The judgesaid he would try to accommodate their request.

Europe committed to sustainable fishing

RNW, 15July 2011, by Willemien Groot

(Photo: Clipart)

  

Unlessaction is taken, the last fish in the Mediterranean could be on our platewithin a matter of years. Europe's fishermen now have to make a real shifttowards sustainability insists the European Commission. A new package ofsustainable fishing measures is now on the table. And these measures will alsoapply outside European waters, so that Africa and Latin America will also reapthe benefits.

Overfishingis a global problem, but the situation in European waters is especiallyserious. According to European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, 83percent of all species in the Mediterranean Sea are overfished, as are 63percent of stocks in the Atlantic Ocean.

Brussels issetting its sights high: it wants the fishing grounds to have recovered to suchan extent in 2015 that responsible fishing is once again possible. A survivalplan for all fish species will be developed to guarantee their long-termfuture.

Recoveryplan

For proofthat the recovery of heavily exploited species is possible, we need look nofurther than the increase of plaice, herring and mackerel in the North Sea.Dutch fishermen, conservation groups and the Ministry worked together on arecovery plan. And the Netherlands should be doing more to advertise thesuccess of the plan says Irene Kingma of Ocean2012, a platform for around 100NGOs that advocate sustainable fishing.

We shouldbe demonstrating how it can be done. That's one of our main appeals to theMinister: do your best to promote this in Europe. Because you know that theSpanish minister will present a very different story, with a starring role forthe poor fisherman who can't earn a crust anymore.

Europeantrawlers’ association PFA is also advocating the widespread acknowledgement ofDutch practices. PFA trawlers catch shoal fish such as herring and mackerel andfreeze them on board. The association works closely with environmental groups.“It would be good to draw on the experiences of the people who actually do thework when developing a management plan,” says PFA chairman Gerard vanBalsfoort.

Illegalfishing

Now thatfish stocks in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic are under threat, fishermen arecasting their nets wider and heading for the West African coast. There, Spanishand Asian factory ships in particular form a growing threat to the livelihoodof local fishermen.

In 2009,Greenpeace discovered that half the vessels fishing in these waters were thereillegally. Most of the offenders were Chinese and Korean. The environmentalgroup says the illegally caught fish is routed via the Canary Islands and endsup on the European market.

Guarantees

The membersof the PFA came up with solutions that can profit both the fishing industry andthe local authorities. One such solution is in Mauritania, where freezertrawlers catch herring and mackerel off the coast, species that are of littleor no interest to local fishermen. In exchange for these fishing rights, Mr VanBalsfoort explains, Mauritania receives payment that accounts for “between tenand twenty percent of GNP”.

Mauritaniachannels part of this revenue into developing its local fisheries. “We fish inMauritania under an EU agreement which contains so many guarantees that thefishing can be described as well controlled, and even includes scientificpractices. Our fishing in Mauritania is sustainable.”

Internationalallure

If theEuropean Commission gets its way and the individual member states imposesustainable measures on their fishermen, Irene Kingma of Ocean2012 believesthat this will have major repercussions. The Union also communicates itsinternal stance to the wider world, within the United Nations for example. “TheEU is actively exerting pressure on Asian countries to adapt their fishingpractices. And that’s having a favourable effect on West Africa’s coastalstates.”

IreneKingma hopes that the EU will keep a close eye on its agreements with thirdcountries. This is particularly important for the Latin American region,regarded as a growth market by European fishermen. Spanish trawlers have beensighted there with increasing frequency and the Netherlands is also keen toexplore the possibility of fishing there. But everything must be done to ensurethat the decimation of Mediterranean fish stocks is not repeated in other partsof the world.

Saving Valentine: a Humpback's Tale (Video)

Michael Fishbach narrates his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net. Gershon Cohen and he have founded The Great Whale Conservancy to help and protect whales. Visit their website www.eii.org/gwc/, facebook page, and join them in helping to save these magnificent beings.

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Whaling commission agrees to anti-corruption reforms

Deutsche Welle, 14 July 2011  

Sperm whales are among target
species for Japan's research whaling

TheInternational Whaling Commission passed a measure intended to increasetransparency and address allegations of vote-buying. But this comes at the costof scuttling a proposal to increase civil society participation.

On theChannel Island of Jersey, the annual meeting of the International WhalingCommission, or IWC, was dominated by discussion over the proposal to eliminatecash payments for membership dues.

Proposed bythe United Kingdom and backed by a number of countries including Germany, theproposal passed through a rare consensus decision.

Conservationgroups hailed the passage. "It's a huge success," said NikolasEntrup, head of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in Germany, WDCS.

German WDCS head
Nikolas Entrup

But Entrupalso criticized the commission, and especially a European Union bloc within it,for its failure to allow non-governmental organizations greater participation.

Andpolarization within the commission is affecting its ability to make decisions,said Despina Simons of the European Bureau for Conservation and Development.

As thecommission's deliberations concluded, some NGOs continue to question both thelegitimacy of current whaling, and the commission's effectiveness incontrolling it.

Vote-buying

It'sbelieved that payment of membership dues in cash allowed wealthy countries withstrong pro- or anti-whaling interests to purchase the votes of other nations.

Japan, acountry with an appetite for seafood, including whales, was accused of havingbought the votes of smaller – and poorer – nations.

Aninvestigative report published in the Sunday Times claimed that Guinea, forexample, not only receives financial support to vote on the IWC with Japan, butthat Japan also recruited it onto the commission in the first place, in orderto add to its voting power.

The reportalso alleges that Japan paid Guinea's nearly 9,000-euro membership fee to thecommission, as well as covering travel costs.

The SundayTimes previously reported that the UK paid Belize's IWC dues of around 11,000euros when its membership had lapsed. Belize then cast a decisive vote with ananti-whaling bloc.

Japaneseacademic Atsushi Ishii told Deutsche Welle that vote-buying was "verylikely," but added, "I would not call it corruption."

Moretransparency, less participation

The27-nation EU, acting as a bloc, helped win over the rare consensus decision fortransparency in membership fees among the 89 countries that belong to the IWC.

Dues forthe commission must now be paid via bank transfer from government accounts.

This will"very strongly prevent the selling of votes" on the commission,Entrup told Deutsche Welle.

ChrisButler-Stroud, chief executive the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society,indicated that countries' knowing where the money has come from could allow forbetter conservation of whales. "There's no place for anyone to criticizethat," Shroud said.

But theconservation group did criticize Denmark for blocking a part of the propositionaimed at allowing more civil society participation.

Greenland wants to increase aboriginal subsistence quotas
for humpack whales

The UKproposal had also suggested that NGOs be allowed to add their views atcommission meetings more often. But Denmark, acting on behalf of Greenland,refused to agree to the membership fees point until the NGO speaking suggestionhad been dropped.

"Onecountry should not be able to block 26," Entrup asserted. "Thisabsolutely goes against democracy and consensus," Entrup said, alsopointing out that Greenland is not an EU member.

Greenlandwants to increase quotas for indigenous subsistence whaling, although whaleconservation groups claim this is a backdoor for it to gain commercial whalingcapacity.

Status ofwhales

Many whalepopulations around the world were severely depleted by hunting over previouscenturies.

TheInternational Whaling Commission has upheld a ban on commercial whaling since1982. Killing whales for scientific research purposes, and indigenoussubsistence, continues to be allowed.

The IWC, inreviewing of the status of global whale stocks during this year's meeting,described how some populations of blue and humpback whales seem to berecovering, although other populations such as that of the criticallyendangered North Atlantic right whale suffered a number of ship strikes andentanglements in 2010.

Thescientific committee for the commission also reported that more data are neededon Antarctic minke whales, and a gray whale population off the coast of Russiawhere oil and gas activities are currently taking place. In addition, the IWChailed a new survey program, which has begun its second ocean foray.

Critics say polarization within the
 commission adds to difficulties
in decision-making

A reportthis month from the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Whale andDolphin Conservation Society asserts that an Icelandic company is engaging inillegal trade of whale products, in clear violation of international law andIWC rules.

"Thewhaling commission would be well advised to devote themselves to the problem ofthe annual killing of hundreds of whales and the increasing trade in whaleproducts," WDCS head Entrup said.

ThatIceland appears to not be heeding the ban on commercial whaling points to adeeper problem within the commission: its lack of enforcement power.

Crisis oflegitimacy?

DespinaSimons from the European Bureau for Conservation and Development said thatpolarization within the IWC is making it increasingly difficult for thecommission to reach decisions.

"Thewhole thing has become so polarized, the pro-whaling and anti-whaling countriestrying to bring in new countries, new votes," Simons told Deutsche Welle.

Areas oftrust that have broken down add to friction, which distracts the commissionfrom looking at conservation, Butler-Stroud said.

Thepolarization fuels a perception that the IWC is becoming dysfunctional – whichaffects its credibility as well, Ishii indicates.

"Ithink the countries still have some possibility to slow down the credibilitydeficit, by for example agreeing on a Southern Atlantic Sanctuary," Ishiistated.

In the end,Entrup thinks the commission must be given enforcement powers, which would makeits decisions truly binding.

"TheIWC needs to be given teeth – protection on paper isn't good enough."

Author:Sonya Angelica Diehn / Robin Powell

Editor: Anke Rasper

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Dolphins 'carried body of drowned victim to shore' in July Fourth tragedy

Daily Mail, by DAILY MAIL REPORTER, 6th July 2011

July Fourth weekend ended in tragedy for one family when a man drowned after being caught in an undertow.

The body of 47-year-old Luis Arturo Polanco Morales, of Denham Springs, was found by authorities about ten to 15 feet from the shore line.

At first they believed the tide had washed Mr Morales up but witnesses to the sad event at Grand Isle, Louisiana, reported the body had been carried to shore by dolphins.

Did they help? Witnesses at Grand Isle, Louisiana, reported the
drowned body of Luis Arturo Polanco Morales had been carried
to shore by dolphins

Tragic: Mr Morales, a young girl and another man had been fishing
 on rocks in Grand Isle when the girl fell in, left, while right, dolphins
are often spotted off the shoreline at the beach

Washed up: Grand Isle Fire Chief, Aubrey Chaisson, gestures to
 where Mr Morales' body was found drifting about ten to 15 feet
out to sea

Could be: For Cesar Zuniga, a
 holidaymaker from McAllen, Texas,
 reports of dolphins bringing the
 body to shore is credible. 'They're
 keeping an eye on us,' he said

'I guess it could be possible,' Cesar Zuniga a holidaymaker from McAllen, Texas, told ABC26 News.

'They're mammals. I think they're intelligent enough to do stuff like that.'

Mr Morales, a young girl and another man had been fishing on rocks when the girl fell in, witnesses told Coroner's investigator Tommy Evans.

Both men jumped in to rescue the girl.

The other man made it out with her, but Mr Morales was dragged off by the current.

After three hours authorities called off the search.

'About an hour later, we got a phone call when the tide brought him in, and actually, he was 10-15 feet he had drifted in,'  Grand Isle Fire Chief, Aubrey Chaisson, said.

For Mr Zuniga the story about the dolphins is genuine.

'I guess I call it a miracle, right?' he said. 'I mean, I'm sorry somebody lost their life, but for them to do that to bring the body shore, they’re keeping an eye on us.

'They're keeping an eye on us.'

Chief Chaisson's advice for anyone stuck in an undertow is not to panic.

The water will take you a way out, but go with it and it will eventually release you.