Subject: Dolphins:NOAA/NMFS Press Release (fwd)
Mike Williamson (pita@www1.wheelock.edu)
Thu, 29 Jan 1998 12:44:56 -0500 (EST)
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 19:03:38 -0500
From: Trevor Spradlin <Trevor.Spradlin@noaa.gov>
Reply-To: Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Discussion
<MARMAM@UVVM.UVIC.CA>
To: MARMAM@UVVM.UVIC.CA
Subject: NOAA/NMFS Press Release
NOAA 98-R105
Contact: Scott Smullen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
scott.smullen@noaa.gov 1/20/98
(301) 713-2370
DOLPHIN FEEDING AND HARASSMENT STILL ILLEGAL
The National Marine Fisheries Service reminds people enjoying
Florida's coastal waters that it is still against federal law to feed
and harass wild dolphins. Recent press coverage about a local court
ruling on the state's wildlife law may have confused many area
residents and tourists who remember that the fisheries service
conducted a federal public awareness campaign last summer in Florida.
Dolphin feeding and harassment has increased at an alarming rate
throughout the Southeast in Florida, Texas and South Carolina. The
flurry of feeding activity has agency officials worried that the
average citizen is unaware that offering a dolphin a handout is
harmful to the dolphins, dangerous to people, and illegal under the
federal Marine Mammal Protection Act .
"We understand that people find it tempting to interact with wild
dolphins. However, folks must understand that feeding wild dolphins
is harmful and is therefore illegal under federal law. It is best for
the dolphins' health and welfare to observe them at a respectful
distance, to resist feeding them, and to avoid any activities that
risk harassment such as chasing, touching or swimming with them," said
Rollie Schmitten, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Feeding dolphins in the wild is illegal under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) because the activity changes the animals'
natural behavior in ways that put them at increased risk of injury or
death, and may impact their ability or willingness to forage for food.
The prohibition on feeding was upheld in 1993 by the U.S. Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals, and is widely supported by the scientific
research and environmental communities since provisioning of any
species of wildlife is known to be harmful.
An in-depth review conducted by the National Marine Fisheries
Service, outside marine mammal experts, and the Marine Mammal
Commission, determined that feeding marine mammals in the wild is
contrary to the mandates of the MMPA to protect individuals, species
and stocks of marine mammals, and alters their behavior in ways that
place them at increased risk of injury and death. Repeated exposure
to humans and human activities has been correlated with placing these
animals at greater risk of incidental interactions with vessels and
fishing activities, vandalism, and ingestion of inappropriate and
contaminated food items. In addition, feeding may impact their
ability or willingness to forage for food, which is of particular
concern for young animals who need to learn foraging skills.
The fisheries service is also concerned that "swim-with-dolphin"
programs in the wild risk harassing the animals since such programs
seek out and interact with dolphins in a manner that has the potential
to disturb the animals' behavioral patterns. Swim-with-dolphin
activities in Panama City, Fla., are of particular concern because
they are either directly facilitated by, or capitalize on, illegal
dolphin feeding.
An additional concern about interactions with wild dolphins is
that individual animals may become labeled as "nuisance animals." In
the Southeast, this concern is growing as dolphins are being turned
into aggressive panhandlers. The fisheries service and local law
enforcement officials have received numerous reports of people being
injured by dolphins begging for food.
"If people truly care for wild dolphins, they will allow them to
stay wild by not interacting with them," said Schmitten. "Please
admire them from a safe distance of at least 50 yards." More than a
decade ago, the fisheries service enacted marine mammal watching
guidelines that ask people to refrain from intentionally approaching
or entering the water within 50 yards of a marine mammal in order to
protect the animal and avoid harassment. If the animal approaches the
vessel, operators should maintain a constant speed and direction to
avoid positioning the vessel in ways that would restrict or modify the
animal's normal movements.