THE Dolphin Research Institute has renewed calls for boaters to be careful around dolphins in Port Phillip Bay after young calves were “clearly distressed by vessels” earlier this month.
There are at least seven dolphin calves only weeks old and are still totally reliant on their mother, the institute’s executive director Jeff Weir said. But he said researchers had unfortunately witnessed “profound tail slapping,” where dolphins “vigorously bang their tail fluke on the water in a graphic distress response that can be seen and heard hundreds of metres away”. “It’s a sign that vessels need to give them space,” he said.
“The first few months are critical for young dolphins. Not all survive, so it’s vital mothers with young calves are respected. “Imagine if a new human mum in a maternity ward had hundreds of noisy strangers visiting her room every day. It would never be allowed. “We urge boat owners to respect our dolphins during summer and not deliberately approach them.”
Weir said unless the water police were out on the water “every second of every day, you’re not going to get everybody prosecuted”. The main rules are not to approach dolphins closer than 100m by boat, 300m for jet skis and 30m for swimmers.
After decades of using signs and education to change people’s behaviour around dolphins to no avail, the institute has adopted a “Dolphin Distancing” program that is like a Neighbourhood Watch for dolphins. The program encourages responsible behaviour around dolphins. When committing to Dolphin Distancing, people get a sticker for their vessel as well as receiving regular updates about making a difference.
“Some of the issues are people are just behaving poorly on the water, full stop,” Weir told The News.
“People do ddeliberately get too close to the dolphins and follow them. “But at the same time, there is some positives … my team did a survey last weekend (18-19 January); it was reasonably flat day and lots of people out and they reported people were being really respectful. “It might be that our research boat was there, but people can do the right thing.”
As part of their education program, Weir said they were working with membership groups like yacht clubs and lifesaving clubs “so that they embed in their culture about the basic thing of respecting the animals, and not deliberately chasing after them”. “So it’s a positive way of trying to get a solution rather than being outraged.”
To commit to Dolphin Distancing visit www.dolphinresearch.org.au/commit-to-dolphin-distancing
To report dolphin harassment call Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
First published in the Mornington News – 28 January 2025
