Fluttering through the blue serene waves of the ocean, theses angels of the sea are more than oceanic scavengers that roam the ocean depths looking for their next meal.  They are air breathing mammals that resemble the essence of human beings.

Dolphins have a light or dark gray exterior with smooth bodies that appear long and slender. The privilege of glimpsing these beautiful animals above the ocean surface is due to the fact that spy hopping is a significant hobby of dolphins.  They frequently can be seen poking their heads above the water or breaching as they flip in and out of the water.

Dolphins are portrayed in movies and films as the fun loving creatures that are always alert to danger and assists those in need of rescue. They are equipped with exceptional hearing and incorporate the use of sounds such as tail slaps and jaw pops as warnings or threats. When these warm blooded species are not too busy being champion acrobats, they are often communicating with other members of their families through the sensation of touch. These unique creatures have an extra sense that humans lack called Biomagnetism, which acts as a built in compass that has the capability to detect changes in the earth’s magnetic field helping them find their way around the ocean. Many species of dolphins can be distinguished by the shape of their beak or their size.

From starring in television shows and movies, bottlenose dolphins have become well-known worldwide. They are also frequently seen along the shores of the United States. They are also very flexible in their behavior.

Bottlenose dolphins are found in the most temperate and tropical waters. They live in small groups or pods of up to 15, but sometimes they are found in larger schools of up to 600. The main natural predator of the bottlenose dolphins is the shark - mostly bull sharks, tiger sharks, dusky sharks and great white sharks. However, humans are generally the greatest threat to bottlenose dolphins in the wild. Although protected in U.S. waters by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, bottlenose dolphins still face a number of threats worldwide including pollution, habitat alteration, boat collisions, human feeding and swimming with the species.

Bottlenose dolphins can grow up to 12 feet and weigh as much as 1,430 pounds. Males are significantly larger than females. The colors vary, but they are generally light gray to slate gray on the upper part of the body and pinkish gray on the belly.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to harass or disrupt the natural behavior of wild dolphins.  In the Florida Keys, a new program called Dolphin Smart has been designed for commercial dolphin viewing businesses to educate their customers about the importance of responsible viewing of wild dolphins in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

In addition to educating the public about viewing wild dolphins responsibly and how to recognize signs of harassment, the Dolphin SMART businesses offer customers detailed knowledge about the laws protecting wild bottlenose dolphins and details about local dolphin populations and research.

Many organizations have teamed up to create this important program including NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program and National Marine Fisheries Service and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

So when you go to the Florida Keys and want to see the wild dolphins, consider choosing a tour operator who is Dolphin SMART -
Stay at least 50 yards from dolphins
Move away cautiously if dolphins show signs of disturbance
Always put your engine in neutral when dolphins are near
Refrain from feeding, touching, or swimming with wild dolphins
Teach others to be Dolphin SMART

For more information, check out the Dolphin Smart website at www.dolphinsmart.org

Every year, over 20,000 dolphins are killed in what is simply known as “drive hunts”.  The figure of  20,000 includes all small whale and dolphin hunts in Japan, and not just drive hunts—such as the hand-held harpoon hunts and and small-type coastal whaling. In these drive hunts, dolphins are corralled by boats and driven into shore where they are killed for their meat, or taken alive for the captivity industry.

  In the last 20 years, over 400,000 small cetaceans (aquatic marine mammals including whales, dolphins and porpoises) have been killed in Japanese waters.  In addition to dolphins, other cetaceans are killed in the slaughter including short-finned pilot whales, false killer whales, Risso’s dolphins and Dall’s porpoises.

There has been worldwide criticism about these drive hunts and scrutiny from the International Whaling Commission, which was signed in 1946 to provide for the proper conservation of whales.  The Japanese argue that the IWC does not maintain competency—does not have purview—over the management of small cetaceans.  So it is important to realize that the small cetaceans are really falling through the cracks of the IWC, the main international body that is intended to regulate whaling.  In an effort to stop the drive hunts, conservationists and scientists are trying to educate the Japanese people about the high levels of mercury and organic compounds found in dolphin and whale meats in hopes that the demand for products from these hunts will become less.

Through interaction at theme parks and aquariums and by watching televisions shows and movies, dolphins have always been perceived as and friendly and playful.  However, dolphins are wild animals and should be treated with caution and respect. 

When you encounter dolphins in the wild, don’t try to feed them.  They learn to beg and lose their fear of humans.  Because of this lack of fear, dolphins will swim too close to churning boat propellers and can be severely injured.  By learning to associate people with food, they get entangled with fishing hooks and lines and die.  They can also get sick from eating bait and people food.

Dolphins are not water toys or pets.  If wild dolphins becomes accustomed to eating handouts, they can get pushy, aggressive and threatening.

It’s important to know how to treat wild dolphins because it is against the law to feed or harass them.  They are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) which prohibits the “taking” of marine mammals.  The term “take” means to harass, hunt, capture, kill, or feed, or any attempt of these activities.

To learn more about the MMPA, click on the following link: www.nfms.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/.

Over the years, there has been an increase in deaths from recreational fishing gear. The National Marine Fisheries Service believes an increase in dolphins depredating (stealing) anglers' bait and catch may be a contributing factor. Dolphins are ingesting the hooks and line or getting entangled in the monofilament resulting in injuries and, in many recent cases, death. Anglers can avoid interactions with dolphins by following basic guidelines.

The "Dolphin Friendly Fishing Tips" can be found at: www.sarasotadolphin.org/Human/tips_2008.asp

To learn more about the NMFS's bottlenose dolphin conservation and the Protect Dolphin Campaign, click on the following links:

www.sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/mm/dolphins/bdconservation.htm www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/protectdolphins.htm

Threats for dolphins are on the rise: They face entanglement in fishing nets, marine pollution , prey depletion due to overfishing, deliberate hunting and disturbance from noise. These are only some of the causes why they might soon be extinct in the world's seas.

To help stop this process, the United Nations Environment Programme/Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) along with ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS decided to launch the Year of the Dolphin 2007-08. This campaign will involve Governments, NGOs and the private sector around the world to emphasize the need to protect dolphin species. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and the tourist group TUI are partners.

The Patron of the Year of the Dolphin is Prince Albert of Monaco, who is committed to helping protect wild dolphins and create an ocean home that is safe from harm. "The Year of the Dolphin gives me the opportunity to renew my firm commitment towards protecting marine biodiversity. With this strong initiative we can make a difference to save these fascinating marine mammals from the brink of extinction", Prince Albert said.

The Year of the Dolphin campaign focuses on raising awareness of dolphins in the wild, the threats they face to their survival and actions that could help with their conservation and the protection of their habitats and ecosystems. As the campaign was developed under the aegis of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, whose mandate is the conservation of migratory wildlife, the campaign does not address or deal with captivity issues. Under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species two special Agreements have so far been concluded to help protect dolphin species: the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) and ACCOBAMS.

The fact that ACCOBAMS is based in Monaco stresses the Principality's environmental commitment, with a particular focus on the sea and marine life.

The most recent ecological mishap to beset Iran's busy port of Bandar Abbas came on July 15, 2007 when an oil sludge containing oil byproducts seeped out of damaged containers that were belonging to a contractor for the state electricity provider Tavanir. More than two months later, Iranian news agencies, and the "Kayhan" and "Etemad" dailies reported that 79 dolphins were washed ashore on September 25, 2007 near the smaller port of Jask! These incidents have spawned a broader debate over pollution levels in the seas around Iran.

Oil? Sewage? Submarines?

Iranian environmentalist Ebrahim Kahrom told the daily "Etemad" that the Persian Gulf is 47 times more polluted than what he described as the "standard level. He suggested that "severe oil pollution" and the presence of oil slicks in Gulf waters might have killed the dolphins as well as six whales that were reportedly washed ashore near Bandar Abbas in the past month. Kahrom said the Bandar Abbas oil spill contaminated an 800-square-kilometer stretch of water. He also said the number of dead dolphins would have been lower if it were the result of general pollution and accumulated toxins.

In addition to oil pollution, another theory is that the dolphins became disoriented as a result of sonar emitted by U.S. submarines in the Persian Gulf. Other theories include waste from the industrial activites at ports and jetties, sewage, or floating rubbish and that dolphins may have gotten caught in tuna nets.