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Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Look but don’t touch
ANDREW P JOHNSON | Halifax Media
A dolphin surfaces Friday as tourists watch from a distance on personal watercraft in the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City Beach.
FWC advises against illegal dolphin contact By VALERIE GARMAN
747-5076 | @valeriegarman vgarman@pcnh.com PANAMA CITY BEACH — The area just east of St. Andrew Pass is known as the “dolphin hole” for a reason. “They’re a beautiful creature,” Maj. Bruce Cooper said from an idling boat Friday as he watched dozens of bottlenose dolphins skim the surface of the shallow water. “Think about it; where else can you go to be around a beautiful animal like that in such a beautiful environment?” But Cooper, who oversees law enforcement for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the region, said the species
has become humanized as more visitors flock to the area to catch a glimpse of the marine mammals in their natural habitat. “If you stick your hand out, they’ll come right up to the boat,” Cooper said. “They expect when they come up to a boat they’re going to get food.” Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act it is illegal to feed, touch or pursue wild dolphins, he said. With more than 50 dolphin tour operators in Bay County, the FWC is working alongside the vendors to change the area’s label as a notorious “hot spot” for illegal dolphin feeding and interaction. While the vendors know better than to feed the dolphins and are working
to improve their tour tactics, Cooper said area visitors often don’t know any better. If things don’t improve, Cooper said the area could be looking at stricter rules when it comes to swimming with dolphins in the wild. For example, it is illegal to swim within 300 feet of a right whale. The FWC held an information session for vendors last month to educate them on the ramifications of illegal dolphin interaction, and Cooper said the outcome of the class has been good so far. “I think what’s exciting is that the vendors here in Panama City recognize what they have,” Cooper said. “They have a phenomenal resource. … They’re doing everything they
can to protect that tourism industry.” The FWC has set aside $10,000 this year to plant undercover officers on tour boats this summer to see whether operators are following the rules. The agency also patrols the water in marked and unmarked boats. While noncompliance can result in a $1,500-plus fine for vendors, when it comes to visitors, Cooper said the FWC tries to focus more on education. “Don’t put your hand out and try to touch them; just be a part of the environment and look at them,” Cooper said. “It’s a beautiful sight. The dolphin is a beautiful animal, but we need to break that tendency where they come up to a boat and expect to get food.”
Dive flags Another problem FWC officers have seen on the water recently is boaters not paying attention to dive flags. While out on the water, especially over the holiday weekend, Cooper said boaters should be on the lookout for dive flags and maintain an idle speed within 300 feet of the flag. “We can maintain and enhance the tourism industry here, but we have to do it by respecting and protecting not only the dolphin, but the people that swim and dive around them,” Cooper said. “We’re getting there. It’s going to be a long ways, but we’re getting there.”
St. George Island No. 3 on best beaches list Staff and Wire Reports
FLORIDASTATEPARKS.ORG
An aerial view of the eastern end of the state park on St. George Island shows how uncrowded the beach is. The park was selected as the third best beach in the nation by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman.
ST. GEORGE ISLAND — For the third year, the state park on St. George Island has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Beaches in the U.S. The 2013 list by coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, lists Julian G. Bruce State Park in Franklin County at No. 3, up one notch from the 2012 list. This is the third year the nine-mile beach park at the eastern end of St. George Island has made Dr. Beach’s list. Topping the list this year is Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y. “The Florida Panhandle beaches are known for their powdery, super white sands,” Leatherman said in a news release Friday. “The sand here is squeaky clean. (Just rub your feet on the sand and hear it squeak.)” St. George is the only Panhandle beach that made the list, and is one of three in Florida. Josh Hodson, St. George Island state park manager, said in a news release the designation has done wonders for the park’s visitation in the past few years. “This ranking
has resulted in publicity on a national scale for the state park and our area,” he said. According to Hodson, visitation to the state park has increased steadily since first making the list in 2011. Last year, the park had 210,000 visitors, up from 185,000 in 2011. Because the St. George Island State Park is home to some threatened and endangered species, Hodson said visitors to this beach park are asked to be respectful of the wildlife, including the endangered loggerhead sea turtles, which arrive annually at this time of year to nest on the beach. “We’ve already received our first few loggerheads, so please do not disturb any marked areas,” Hodson said. Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University in Miami, has visited beaches around the world and uses criteria like water and sand quality, as well as safety and environmental management, to compile his annual list. Once a beach reaches the pinnacle of No. 1, it is retired from future consideration, he said.
TOP 10 No. 1: Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y. No. 2: Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii No. 3: St. George Island State Park, Franklin County No. 4: Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii No. 5: Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii No. 6: Barefoot Beach, Bonita Springs No. 7: Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne No. 8: Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina No. 9: Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. No. 10: Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, S.C.