Dolphin-watching tour boats change bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus) behaviour

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 117; no. 3; pp. 299 - 307
• Main Authors: Constantine, Rochelle, Brunton, Dianne H, Dennis, Todd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Bottlenose dolphin; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Dolphin-watching; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human disturbance; Marine; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Tourism; Tursiops truncatus; New Zealand; PSE, New Zealand, North I., Bay of Islands; Dolphin-watching; Tourism; Bottlenose dolphin; Human disturbance; Marine environment; Ship observation; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Cetacea; Behavior; Perturbation; Animal conservation; Boat; Tursiops truncatus
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2003.12.009

Over the last decade there has been considerable growth in marine mammal-watching tourism throughout the world. Due to the species use of coastal habitats, bottlenose dolphins are most frequently exposed to dolphin-watching tourism. We conducted boat-based focal follows of schools of bottlenose dolphins to determine the effect of boats on dolphin behaviour. A CATMOD analysis showed that behaviour differed by boat number, in particular, resting behaviour decreased as boat number increased. Dolphins rested less and engaged in more milling behaviour in the presence of permitted dolphin-watching boats compared to non-permitted boats. An increase from 49 to 70 permitted trips per week and a change in their departure times resulted in a further decrease in resting behaviour. Currently the effects of boats, in particular permitted boats, on dolphin resting behaviour whilst they are in the Bay of Islands, are substantial. In the light of these findings we suggest that current legislation in New Zealand is not affording this isolated population protection from disturbance.