Grix 1 Tyler Grix Professor Julie Saul English 1010 07 August 2013 Protecting Dolphins Dolphins are amazingly

energetic and intelligent marine animals. They like to jump and play a lot. They show their intelligence by communicating with each other using echolocation, which is making high and low-pitched sounds, and by body signals. Dolphins can protect humans if they sense they are in trouble or that something is wrong. They try to determine what is wrong or think what to do. Dolphins are also endangered and near extinction because of illegal fishing and hunting, water pollution, tourism, and global warming. I agree with Dr. Maas that more selective fishing methods such as fish traps which do not catch dolphins must be used and that illegal catching, illegal fishing, illegal hunting practices, as well as polluting the dolphins environment by dumping garbage and toxins must be stopped and closely monitored and those involved prosecuted. I also agree that wildlife tours can be productive if the size and frequency of the boats, as well as nearness to the wildlife are controlled for the safety of the dolphins. Because of their natural beauty, the areas where the dolphins are set have become tourist attractions. Unfortunately, this has had some negative effects on their habitats or environment. Too many boats coming close to the dolphins have caused the dolphins to be hurt or killed by getting caught in the propellers. People leave garbage and pollution behind. The tendency of people to try to get near these dolphins affects their daily patterns and behavior according to Steckenreuter. He says that In cases where human-wildlife interactions turn into large-scale tourism industries, research shows that these activities can negatively impact wildlife by

Grix 2 disrupting resting or feeding. Research has also found that the Dolphins react adversely to direct and close approaches. Another issue is that Dolphins are rapidly vanishing because they are caught in commercial and recreational fishing nets and sometimes hurt by boat motors. They get caught because they swim into the gillnet (a wall of netting) or net to get the fish. When the net closes, the dolphin is unable to get out. It struggles and cant breathe, so it usually drowns and is thrown back in the ocean, whether dead or alive. This is called bycatch, which is the unintended capture of nontarget animals as defined by Raby. Dolphins, turtles and a few other animals are the most common victims of this practice, according to Godbole. These commercial fishermen depend on catching fish for their livelihood and income, but harm the dolphins. Trawl nets which are pulled through the water from boats, killed just as many dolphins as the commercial gillnets, bringing the number of deaths due to fisheries to 46 along the east coast of New Zealand North Island (Bernhardt). An annual loss of this size will wipe out 62% of the population by 2050 (Bernhardt). Only a few animals will survive. The dolphin population around New Zealand has fallen from 30,000 to 7,000 since nylon fishing nets came into use in the 1970s according to Dr. Barbara Maas, head of endangered species conservation for German environmental group NABU International Foundation for Nature (Bernhardt). Dr. Barbara Maas said that: Absolute protection against commercial and recreational gill-netting and trawling is the only way to prevent disaster. She is also urging the New Zealand government not to bow to industry pressure and to ban the fishing methods in waters up to 100 m deep to save the dolphins. She suggests more selective fishing methods, such as hook and line fishing, or fish traps, which do not catch dolphins, could be used instead, as stated by Bernhard.

Grix 3 I agree with Dr. Maas that more selective fishing methods such as fish traps which do not catch dolphins must be used. There is also illegal fishing and hunting going on. Some people capture the dolphins and try to sell them to the highest bidder. Some fishermen use illegal methods when trying to capture fish. Some of them employ huge nets trying to capture huge amounts of fish. In some cases the animals are killed. These practices must be eliminated (Godbole). Illegal hunting is another reason for the diminishing number of dolphins. In a bid to catch other fish, if dolphins are seen around the boat, they are shot and killed. The justification being that they scare off other fish. This practice must be stopped (Godbole). Illegal fishing and illegal hunting are against the law. I agree that these practices should be eliminated and those involved prosecuted. One of the biggest problems is polluting the dolphins environment. Every day tons of garbage and toxins (industrial and chemical waste) are dumped into the seas by industries and factories. Godbole states: Water pollution caused by industries and factories dumping toxins in the rivers or oceans is life-threatening for smaller sea animals who are compelled to carry these toxins . . . in their bloodstream or anywhere in their body. This is often transported to bigger animals and mammals when they eat the smaller ones. All over the world, dolphins and other animals are many times found dead on the beaches because of water pollution. The dolphins suffer when exposed to pollution such as oil spills according to Monastersky. He says, the dirty waters make it harder for them to swim and it also poisons their food. The pollution of the oceans forces them to relocate. This affects their behavioral patterns and cycles greatly and is one of the contributing reasons why dolphins are endangered.

Grix 4 Polluting the dolphins environment by dumping garbage and toxins must be stopped. This is an easy and cheaper way for industries to get rid of their toxins. I agree this practice must stop. Pollution must be closely monitored. Those industries and factories dumping toxins into the oceans must be controlled. Our oceans must be made safe for the marine animals. Godbole says that Dealing with pollution must and is being done at a global level. Taking small steps to lessen pollution can help in improving the condition. One way could be to emphasize the need to do something about this problem. Kids will be the ones who will be losing out on seeing this wonderful mammal if the above factors are not significantly reduced or stopped. Godbole says, Encroachment upon the dolphins natural habitat by humans has also led to dolphins becoming an endangered species (Godbole). Steckenreuter agrees saying that In cases where human-wildlife interactions turn into large-scale tourism industries, research shows that these activities can negatively impact wildlife by . . . disrupting resting or feeding. Zeppel, on the other hand, says that Marine wildlife tours can provide a range of education and conservation benefits for visitors. . . Wildlife tours can be productive if the size and frequency of the boats, as well as nearness to the wildlife are controlled for the safety of the dolphins. Dolphins feed on squid, shrimp and small sharks. Due to rapidly rising ocean temperatures or climate change, the dolphins primary food sources are seeking deeper, colder waters (Monastersky). This creates a problem as the area becomes overpopulated with dolphins. Scientists are concerned that the dolphins will have difficulty adapting as quickly as necessary to find new feeding grounds to sustain their populations, says Raby. Some dolphins that live in areas where rivers and oceans meet are also losing habitat as ocean levels are rising due to global warming.

Grix 5 It is our duty to help improve the dolphins environmental and habitat conditions, because so many of the problems are human-caused, although some people would not see it that way. The first step in this direction would be to stop illegal catching and fishing, and then hunting. It is very heart wrenching, painful and cruel to know these dolphins are killed on the pretext they scare off other fish. Eventually, the problems can be improved by an overall consciousness about the environment and an attitude of concern about other living marine animals. If we are not concerned about living creatures, then we will spell doom for ourselves and those in generations to come concludes Godbole. More selective fishing methods such as fish traps which do not catch dolphins must be used and illegal catching, illegal fishing and illegal hunting practices, as well as polluting the Dolphins environment, must be stopped and those involved prosecuted. should be eliminated and those involved prosecuted. Another thing I agree on is polluting the dolphins environment by dumping garbage and toxins must be stopped. Pollution must be closely monitored. I agree that wildlife tours can be productive if the size and frequency of the boats, as well as nearness to the wildlife are controlled for the safety of the Dolphins. Dolphins are part of the food/life cycle in the ocean. If they disappear, it will affect the lifespan of other sea animals, the consequences of which can be severe for the ocean and for the planet.

Grix 6 Works Cited Bernhard, Tobias. Endangered Dolphins Near Extinction. The Guardian. 13.06 EDT. Guardian.co.uk. 28 September 2011. Web. 30 September 2011. Godbole, Medha. Endangered Dolphins. Buzzle. Buzzle.com. 6 July 2011. Web. 8 October 2011. Monastersky, Richard. In the Eye of the Storm. Nature. Search.ebscohost.com. Vol. 468 Issue 7327. 23 December 2010. Web. 30 December 2011. Raby, Graham D., Colotelo, Alison H., Blouin-Demers, Gabriel and Cooke, Steven J. Freshwater Commercial Bycatch: An Understated Conservation Problem. Bio Science 61.4 (2011) MasterFILE Premier. Biosciencemag.org. April 2011. Web. 10 July 2013. Steckenruter, Andre. Tourist Boats Interrupt Dolphins Daily Life. Ecos Magazine. Ecosmagaine.com. 19 December 2011. Web. 30 December 2011. Zeppel, Heather. Education and Conservation Benefits of Marine Wildlife Tours: Developing Free-Choice Learning Experiences. Journal of Environmental Education. Spring 2008, Vol. 39 Issue 3. Web. 20 December 2009.