A dolphin exporter in Solomon Islands has vowed to fight the government's new policy to ban the export of live dolphins from next year.
Last week, cabinet approved a proposal by the acting minister of fisheries for an export ban from January.
A local commercial fisherman, Robert Satu, who has been exporting live dolphins since 2003, says the revenue he gets from the trade helps sustain his community.
He says dolphins sell on average for about 25,000 US dollars.
"We will try and fight the government. If they don't give us authority to export dolphins then we will say: 'now, we will put a new government in'. We have got the power to put a new government in so that they can allow us to export dolphins."
The government says the export of a quota of 50 live dolphins up to the end of the year can go ahead.
The ban comes as a local company - unrelated to Robert Satu - prepares to send 25 live bottlenose dolphins to China.
