Admire our dolphins but please keep your distance

Summer on the Mornington Peninsula is a time for fun, relaxation, and an opportunity to explore wonderful Port Phillip. Our bay is home to an incredibly diverse range of marine life, from tiny shrimp living on pier pylons to our highly mobile resident bottlenose and common dolphins. The dolphin communities that reside in our bay share their home with a growing number of vessels, from large cargo ships right down to kayaks. For the most part, humans and dolphins appear to co-exist in relative harmony. However, the summer holiday season brings with it a marked increase in vessel traffic, which is largely concentrated in the southern areas of the bay. By chance, this also happens to be the time of year that bottlenose dolphin presence increases in this same area, and they often have their new calves in tow. Unfortunately, whether intentionally or by chance, interactions between vessels and dolphins increase as a result of this overlap, putting dolphins at risk.

Vessel/dolphin interactions have been known to cause displacement of dolphins as well as interfere with vital behaviours such as feeding, mating, and nursing of calves. This is why the Dolphin Research Institute has taken the opportunity to re-launch its Dolphin Distancing program for the 2022-23 holiday season. The aim of Dolphin Distancing is to engage with communities and encourage vessel operators to maintain a safe and respectable distance from dolphins while at the same time enjoying the privilege of observing these magnificent animals in their natural habitat.

Vessel owners who commit to Dolphin Distancing will be joining a growing community of concerned bay users who together can influence a human behaviour change which will see a lowering of risk to our wonderful resident dolphins. All who commit to this program will be sent a Dolphin Distancing sticker to display on their vessel.

You can commit to Dolphin Distancing by visiting the Dolphin Research Institute website at https:// www.dolphinresearch.org.au/commit-to-dolphindistancing/, so join us in securing a safer future for our bay’s resident dolphins.

Victorian Government regulations prohibit vessels from approaching dolphins closer than 100m, or 300m for jetskis. Please report any observed offences under these regulations to the Office of the Conservation Regulator on 13 61 86.