Federal regulators are proposing a widespread ban on swimming with Hawaii’s spinner dolphins.
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However, the National Marine Fisheries Service fears the mammals’ bodyclocks are being disrupted by the large amounts of companies taking tourists out to swim with them and that their natural playfulness – the very quality that makes them so attractive – is being replaced by a “chronic level of stress”.
This Aug. 15, 2012 photo provided by Murdoch University dolphin researcher Julian Tyne shows people swimming near dolphins in Makako Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The dolphins, which get their name from their habit of leaping in the air and spinning around, rest half their brains and keep the other half awake so that they can surface and breathe. As a result, they can look awake and active even when asleep.
The nocturnal species feeds during the night on crustaceans and small fish who come out after dusk, leaving the daylight hours for sleep.
Holland says Dolphins and You takes about 80 customers each day on tours to waters off Oahu’s Waianae Coast.
The agency is set to hold public meetings on the proposal next month and expects to make a final decision on the regulations next year.
Swimming with wild dolphins is illegal, Kellar said.
The agency has proposed an exclusion zone of no boats allowed within 50 yards of spinner dolphins.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects all marine mammals, including dolphins, within USA waters, and Kellar said the act already prohibits any interaction with wild marine mammals. The ban would stretch two nautical miles from shore, where 98 percent of spinner dolphins rest during the day.
“While many people love the idea of swimming with wild dolphins, it is very hard to ensure that it is not an intrusive or stressful experience for the dolphins involved”, says the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation. But scientists are concerned this deprives the dolphins of the rest they need. That makes them easy for tour groups to find. The designated waters include areas between the islands of Maui, Lanai and Kahoolawe where the dolphins are found throughout the day.
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