Department of Commerce
NOAA Fisheries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2003
CONTACT: |
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Connie Barclay
(301) 713-2370 |
NOAA FISHERIES REMINDS PUBLIC OF THE DANGERS
OF SWIMMING WITH, FEEDING AND HARASSING WILD DOLPHINS AND OTHER
MARINE MAMMALS
Labor Day weekend is historically one of the busiest tourist weekends
of the summer season, and it is important that people visiting
local beaches or boating on local waterways remember to be extremely
cautious around wild dolphins and other marine mammals. NOAA's
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) reminds everyone
that it is against federal law to feed or harass wild marine mammals,
because it is harmful to the animals and dangerous to people. NOAA
is an agency of the Department of Commerce.
"People tend to forget that marine mammals are just like other
wild animals and can be aggressive," said Bill Hogarth, assistant
administrator for NOAA Fisheries. "One of the best ways that people
can help protect the health and welfare of wild marine mammals
is to observe the animals at a respectful distance, at least 50
yards for small whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions
and 100 yards for large whales, and to resist swimming with or
feeding them."
NOAA Fisheries has received reports of people being bitten, pulled
under water or seriously injured while trying to closely approach,
feed, swim with, touch or interact with wild marine mammals. Swimmers
have also been attacked by sharks while swimming with wild marine
mammals, most recently in California and Hawaii.
For more than a decade, NOAA Fisheries has worked to educate the
public about the harmful consequences of close interactions with
wild marine mammals.
These efforts have focused on the harm that human interactions
can cause to the animals, including boat strikes, disturbance of
vital behaviors and social groups, separation of mothers from young,
abandonment of resting areas, vandalism and habituation to humans.
NOAA Fisheries has worked to highlight these activities as a public
safety concern in response to numerous reports of people being
injured during encounters with wild marine mammals.
"NOAA Fisheries recognizes that viewing marine mammals in their
natural habitat can be a rewarding educational experience, that
fosters public appreciation for the conservation of the animals," Hogarth
said. "In our effort we want to help people have a safe experience,
as well as to protect these wonderful animals. NOAA Fisheries has
developed recommended viewing guidelines for admiring wild marine
mammals." NOAA Fisheries is also concerned that commercial "swim-with-dolphin" programs
in the wild risk harassing the animals, as 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 the Southeast and Hawaii are of additional concern
because some are facilitated by illegal feeding, or take place
in critical resting and sheltering areas for the animals.
An in-depth review conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists, non-governmental
marine mammal experts, and the Marine Mammal Commission, determined
that feeding and otherwise closely interacting with marine mammals
in the wild alters their natural 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 or 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 bottom line is that swimming with, or otherwise interacting
with wild marine mammals is dangerous and can be illegal, " Hogarth
said.
NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's
living marine resources, and the habitat on which they depend,
through scientific research, management and enforcement. Our stewardship
of these resources benefits the nation by supporting coastal communities
that depend upon them, while helping to provide safe and healthy
seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American
public.
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