Cairo: An Egyptian court has sentenced a skipper of a speedboat to six months in prison after convicting him of disturbing dolphins in a landmark ruling, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.
The Misdemeanour Court in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada also ordered the skipper of paying 5,000 Egyptian pounds (about Dh1,785) in its verdict that has drawn praise from environmentalists, private newspaper Al Masry Al Youm said.
In its explanation for the ruling, the first of its kind in Egypt, the court said the convict had committed violations that endangered the dolphin population in Hurghada and that the trespassing could force the creatures to migrate to safer places.
The ruling passed on Saturday was in response to a lawsuit filed by a government environment agency in Hurghada against the unnamed skipper. There were no specific details about the cited violations or when they took place.
Environmentalists quoted by the paper said that the ruling was based on a law issued in 1983 protecting marine life and endangered species in Egypt. “We keep coordinating with the [government-run] Red Sea Nature Reserves directorate on conducting inspection campaigns against environmental violations by tourist speedboats in areas known for dolphin gatherings,” said Amr Ali, an executive of a pro-environment association in the town.
Hurghada is one of Egypt’s major tourist destinations. Like other holiday-making spots in the country, the town has seen a sharp decline in foreign tourists due to the unrest that has gripped in recent years.
