On getting a heads-up from a dolphin
Interview with Beatriz Búrigo, Caetano Sordi and José Costa Júnior, Team Brazil for "Philosophy in the Wild"
In this interview, I speak with Beatriz, Caetano and José about a Brazilian tradition of fishing with wild living dolphins in the estuaries (though they are considered “residents”, as opposed to the dolphins who stay out in the ocean). My point is, these dolphins are neither captive nor trained by humans but engage in these collaborations freely. Beatriz holds a PhD in Social Anthropology and is a postdoctoral researcher at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Caetano is a Professor of Anthropology at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. And José is a Professor of Philosophy at the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais (Ponte Nova Campus).
Thank you all so much for doing this interview. You are covering another case of biological mutualism – where wild living animals find that humans actually work to their advantage and vice versa. We have already spoken with Devon about eider ducks and their keepers in Norway. You join us from Brazil, which is home to two of only a few places in the world where bottlenose dolphins collaboratively fish with humans. On the Philosophy in the Wild-website, we have linked to a short documentary – Os Bons Botos – that I encourage everybody to view. José is going to share the documentary with his students in autumn. Beatriz and Caetano, your research is specifically about the communication and hunting techniques shared by these dolphins and humans. Can we start by learning more about the methods and goals of your research, please?
Beatriz and Caetano: The research is part of an outreach project carried out by the CANOA group (Collective of Studies in Environments, Perceptions, and Practices) at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), in partnership with IPHAN (National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage). The goal is to provide IPHAN with the documents necessary for the recognition of Pesca com Botos (cooperative fishing between humans and dolphins) as a Brazilian Cultural Heritage, or, as defined by the Brazilian Law, its register (registro). For the research to take place, the community must first demonstrate interest. Then, the register requires a written dossier, two documentaries (short and long), and an image bank. Most of the research team is composed of anthropologists, but it also includes biologists and a new media artist, giving the research an interdisciplinary approach. It is based on the ethnographic method — intensive fieldwork with fishermen in the locations where the interactions with dolphins take place.
Beyond the ongoing fieldwork work, our research builds on previous works on the subject in Brazil, which provide us with a qualified bibliographical research base. As a unique example of cooperation between humans and wildlife, dolphin-assisted fishing has generated great scientific interest for several decades. It offers valuable opportunities for studies in the fields of ethology (animal behaviour), ecology, anthropology, and other disciplines that investigate the relationships between nature and culture, even blurring the boundaries between them. Research on this practice helps to understand how complex forms of communication between species develop, in addition to revealing a traditional knowledge form that is deeply connected to the environment. Furthermore, the study of human and dolphin cooperative fishing contributes to the development of conservation strategies that take into account the knowledge of local communities.
I love the goal of achieving legal recognition of this practice as cultural heritage by humans and dolphins. Could you help us understand this special relation a bit better?
Beatriz and Caetano: As anthropologist Antônio Carlos Diegues classically puts it, artisanal fishing is a practice that constitutes social bonds in many places of the Brazilian coast. Our point is to demonstrate that artisanal dolphin-assisted fishing constitutes social bonds that go beyond the human. Mutual gain alone isn't enough to explain the partnership between fishermen and dolphins. Years of coexistence create bonds of affection and respect between them. One of the hallmarks of this relationship are the names that emerge from their time together at the water's edge. In addition to the nicknames fishermen give each other, dolphins are also named. This is part of an intertwined life story, in which humans accompany dolphins from birth and participate in their fishing apprenticeship. Learning to understand dolphin signals takes time. The attentive ways in which humans and dolphins interact facilitate the recognition of their habits and signaling, which define each individual's characteristic way. Each location has its own signals and ways of fishing with dolphins, as if they were variations of a broader idiom. This is a very important argument for its recognition as cultural heritage, since the signalling forms of each estuary are unrepeatable and depend on learning processes cultivated within particular communities.
That is so intriguing. Could you give examples of these signals and some of the differences?
Beatriz and Caetano: Our research focuses on two of the four estuaries in southern Brazil where the practice is found: Laguna, in the state of Santa Catarina, and Tramandaí, in Rio Grande do Sul. Although there are historical records of its occurrence in the Araranguá and Mampituba rivers, it is no longer practiced there with the same regularity as in the former two. Laguna has a bigger dolphin population and not all animals cooperate (30-40% in a population of 50-60 animals). Therefore, fishermen distinguish between botos bons and botos ruins (good and bad dolphins). In Tramandaí, the population is smaller (10-12) and all individuals cooperate. Each community has its own way of signalling, or mostrar peixe (to show the fish). In Laguna, the pulo (jump) happens more often. It is a vigorous leaping movement of the dolphin. The batida is also common, when the dolphin slaps its tail on the water. In Tramandaí the hallmark signal is the head-flapping, or batida de cabeça.
The fishermen mention different ways in which dolphins signal the presence and location of the shoals. These signs range from steep dives to tail or head slappings, and the exhibition of the face. In addition, there are dolphins that point to the fish in front of them, others next to them and there are also those that signal fish that are behind them. Each fisherman must be able to understand these signs in order to cast the net at the right time and place. Many dolphin names refer to the characteristic temper and usual behaviors of individuals. For example, Lobisomem (Werewolf) got his name because he was “mysterious”, always appearing and disappearing unexpectedly; Eletrônico (Electronic), because she's very fast and hectic; Fúria (Fury) because he has a tempestuous behaviour.
You mentioned learning above — who is learning from or with whom?
Beatriz and Caetano: Just as human fishermen learn to fish with older generations, dolphins also learn to cooperate with humans by following the example of their mothers and other more experienced members of the group. And the learning doesn't end there; fishermen and dolphins also learn to fish together. Through gestures and glances, fishermen and dolphins build together the living knowledge of this fishery. Mutual learning processes not only shape the personality and reputation of fishermen and dolphins, but also establish the necessary conditions for hybrid human-cetacean communities to maintain and thrive over time. Therefore, cooperation between dolphins and humans is a phenomenon that challenges conventional conceptions of tradition, culture, society, personhood, learning, and even work. In modern Western cosmology, these notions are imbued with metaphysical concepts of the exceptionality of human beings and their superiority over other living beings. This phenomenon is a living heritage that deserves to be valued, known, and recognized. It is proof that nature and culture go hand in hand and that cooperation between humans and nonhuman animals can generate unique knowledge, sustainable ways of life, and respectful relationships with the environment.
That is so impressive, thank you for sharing. José, you are planning to screen the documentary during the National Science and Technology Week in Brazil, which is, fittingly, dedicated to the theme “Ocean Cultures”. After the screening, there will be a discussion with your students based on Mary Midgley’s ideas on humans and other animals, but also more broadly on the need for philosophy. Could you share a bit more?
José: Philosophy is a fundamental practice for understanding not only the connections and relationships between different forms of life, but also for understanding — and, when necessary, revising — our own conceptions of life, animality, and humanity. One example involves our relationship with other animals and the environment in general. For centuries, we considered the natural world to be at our disposal, a limited view supported by beliefs in human superiority and domination. We developed ways of life based on extractivism and unregulated consumption. However, at some point, this became unsustainable, both in its consequences and its philosophical foundations. A revision of this framework became urgent.
With Midgley, I believe that this is the main task of philosophy: to make us constantly reflect and revise our systems of thought so that we can better understand reality and ourselves. At present, many of the prevailing conceptions distance us from ourselves (we are increasingly influenced), from others (a profound individualism), and from the natural world (a brutal extractivism). They are themselves based on a questionable conception of who we are and our experiences. Here, philosophy can help us revise such framings and fragmentations, promoting a broader and more coherent portrait of who we are and how we live.
My FAQ to the three of you: What are your favourite scents?
José: Mine is the scent of the "dama-da-noite" (Cestrum nocturnum), a plant found in several regions of rural Brazil. With small yellow flowers, this shrub attracts bats at night and hummingbirds during the day. Its name refers to the time when it is most fragrant — between dusk and dawn. When I lived with my parents in a small town, there was a "dama-da-noite" in front of our house. We lived in a working-class neighbourhood, and there weren't many cars or industries, and the scent of the flowers would appear in the late afternoon. We used to wake up very early for our daily commitments, even before sunrise, when the "dama-da-noite" was at its most fragrant. I now live in an urban area and no longer encounter it. I believe this is due both to the modernisation of my country and to the environmental changes that so impact us.
Caetano: The scentscape of dolphin-assisted fishing is full of interesting stimuli that comes from the encounter between land, water and the atmosphere. The salty scent of the sea breeze tends to encompass everything, but my favorite one is the scent of the wild sage, or tropical black sage (Varronia curassavica), that is commonly found along the Brazilian South coast.
Beatriz: The south wind is very important for fishing, it moves the fish and also brings a cold scent. In Laguna/SC, this scent comes with sea water and it’s my favourite.