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| An image of spinner dolphins in Hawaii - Credit Kim Kilgroe, via YouTube |
Swimming among the dolphins in the clear waters off the
Hawaiian coast has long enticed island visitors. But federal officials say it
is harmful to the creatures when they are supposed to be resting and
socializing, and have proposed a ban on the activity.
The proposed rules announced last week by the National
Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, will prohibit swimming with or approaching within 50 yards of
Hawaiian spinner dolphins. That will end many tour group practices, which
involve approaching dolphins in a boat and snorkeling in the water with them.
Dolphins typically forage offshore in the night for fish,
shrimp and squid, then return toward land during the day to relax. They swim even
when they are sleeping. But officials say the presence of boats and
swimmers is disrupting their habits, causing “a departure from natural
behavioral patterns that support the animal’s health and fitness,” according to
the proposed guidelines.
“We think by
identifying 50 yards as the minimum distance that there still can be a viable
tourist industry in Hawaii,” Ann Garrett, an assistant regional administrator
for protected resources for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said this
week during a conference call with reporters.
Reached by phone, two tour operators disagreed.
“It could be the end of legitimate dolphin swimming,” said
Kevin Merrill, an owner of Dolphin Discoveries in Kona, on the island of
Hawaii. “We won’t be able to offer the people the quality interaction that they
expect.”
Roberta Goodman, the owner of Wild Dolphin Swims Hawaii in
Holualoa, also on the Big Island, said, “It’s kind of like asking people at a
dolphin show to stay outside the gate.”
In a typical excursion, tourists load into a boat early in
the morning. Once dolphins are spotted, tourists get out of the boat, wading in
the water nearby.
Mr. Merrill and Ms. Goodman are aware of tour operators who
behave unethically or dangerously, but that most are mindful of not harming the
dolphins and prohibit guests from touching the dolphins or swimming overhand,
which can spook the animals.
Ms. Goodman, who has worked with dolphins since 1985, does
not see signs that they are disturbed by the tour groups. “We watch them nurse,
and make love, and play, and travel and sleep,” she said. “They continue with
their natural behaviors while they’re in the water with us. They’ve accepted us
into their environment with them.”
The Marine Mammal Protection Act already prohibits the
harassment of dolphins, but the proposed rule will add the 50-yard barrier. It
will make exceptions for those who inadvertently come within 50 yards of a
dolphin, or if steering away from the dolphins will be unsafe
Mr. Merrill has been giving tours with his wife, Claudia,
since 1992. When he started, there were just a few operators, who all cared
deeply about the dolphins, but the industry has exploded in the past decade.
His groups are not in the water past 11 a.m., allowing the
dolphins their resting time. It is among the guidelines recommended by the
Coral Reef Alliance, which several tour operators voluntarily follow.
“You don’t swim with
the dolphins,” he said. “The dolphins choose to swim with us.”
