Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms

I wanted to do a page on one of my favorite animals... ever since I saw a dolphin in real life at Sea World back in 1986, I have been hooked on them. 

I recently adopted a Bottlenose dolphin from "Friends of the Ocean"  The bottlenose dolphin, the species most people are familiar with, appeared on the television show, Flipper, and is prevalent in oceanaria and research facilities.  The bottlenose has a Greek name "xithemonas", meaning guardian, since it is known to guide other dolphins, marine mammals, and humans to safety. 

The bottlenose dolphins are found in oceans worldwide, in both coastal and offshore, temperate and tropical waters.  In the wild, the bottlenose are known to ride on the surf of coastal waves and ships.  After nursing for about a year, juvenile bottlenose dolphins stay with their mother for three to six years.  Offshore bottlenose dolphins have a preference for squid and are often found herding with the squid-eating pilot whales.  A very intelligent animal, the bottlenose dolphin's brain is larger and in some ways more complex than the human brain.

In some cases the close association of humans to bottlenose dolphins has had its disadvantages.  In 1987, along the eastern coast of the United States, approximately 750 bottlenose dolphins washed ashore, with many more dolphins dying at sea, uncounted.  Researchers attributed this "die-off" to a deficient immune system resulting from their ingesting fish contaminated with toxins.  In 1990, a similar die-off occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, killing a reported 800 dolphins.  Additionally, the capture of bottlenose dolphins for the entertainment industry and the United States Navy has contributed to a decline of wild populations.  Currently there is a moratorium on the capture of bottlenose dolphins for display.  The East Coast population of bottlenose dolphins, due to the extensive die-off, has been formally recognized by the federal government as "depleted".

The image of the dolphin is prevalent throughout history in the myths, legends and lore of many cultures.  The ancient Greeks names the constellation Delphinus after the dolphin.  Situated in the Northern Hemisphere, this constellation shines down on what they believe was the center of the world, which they named Delphi.  Citizens of ancient Crete honored dolphins as gods.

Ancient lore illustrates the kinship between dolphins and humans.  Dolphins have watched over travelers to afford them safe passage, have helped swimmers lost at sea, have guided ships safely through the deep channels of rocky harbors, and have come to the assistance of other dolphins and marine mammals in distress.  This friendliness and altruism is consistent with the dolphins of today.

Dolphins face a variety of threats.  In the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, some tuna fishers encircle herds of dolphins with large purse seine nets, entrapping and killing the dolphins while trying to catch the yellowfin tuna fish.  This fishing method has depleted populations of spinner, spotted, and common dolphins.  More than 6 million dolphins were killed in the nets of the tuna industry before public pressure led to the initiation of "dolphin-safe" fishing requirements.  In the open ocean, fishers set miles-long driftnets that hang like curtains in the sea and capture any living thing in their path.  Thousands of dolphins, marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds die each year in driftnets.  Off the coastal shores, fishers use smaller-scale gillnets, which take their toll as well.

Due to widespread coastal development, dolphins have also suffered greatly from the toxic waste dumping of sewage, agricultural runoff, and heavy chemical wastes.  Oil spills, increased vessel traffic, and even ozone depletion all pose serious threats to dolphins and their habitat.  Outside of the fishing industry, dolphin have been captured widely for aquaria, amusement parks, and for military use by the United States Navy.

Several United States laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the International Dolphin Conservation Act (IDCA), and the Driftnet Control Act have been enacted that these laws are fully enforced and that dolphin populations are allowed to recover.  Although the MMPA, which helps reduce the exploitation of marine mammals, is up for reauthorization in 1994, we must still work to significantly reduce the dolphin mortalities and injuries that are caused by human activity.  Only then will the dolphin and porpoise population have any hope of regaining their original numbers.

Dolphins need your help.  The Dolphin Sponsorship Program offers a way for you to get involved in learning about and saving the lives of dolphins around the world.  The sponsorship package provides you with updated information about the dolphin species that you choose to sponsor. 

Your sponsorship of a dolphin species enables the IMMP to continue their efforts to make the oceans safe for dolphins.  With thousands of dolphins killed each year as a result of the intentional setting of nets by international fishing fleets, it is essential that all countries stop killing dolphins.  This involves expanding IMMP's International Monitoring Program to all counties that continue to set nets on dolphins.  IMMP must also continue to distribute literature to educate the public about the dolphins' plight. 

By sponsoring an entire species of dolphins rather than an individual, you will directly support those dolphins in dire need of protection.  The Dall's porpoise and the bottlenose, Pacific white-sided, and eastern spinner dolphins are the most endangered species in the oceans.  Preserving them will help ensure that all species of dolphins and porpoises can live safely in the oceans of the world.