Aussie’s costly act in close dolphin encounter
A man has been fined hundreds of dollars during a fishing trip in Queensland and the video footage was posted online.
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A man has been fined hundreds of dollars for illegally hand-feeding a wild dolphin from a boat during a fishing trip in Queensland after video footage was posted online.
Senior Wildlife officer Tina Ball said Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service reviewed the video, which shows several adult dolphins and a calf approaching the boat at at Tin Can Bay, a coastal town, 80km north of Noosa.
“The video then shows the man cutting a mullet in pieces and feeding it to one of the adult dolphins on several occasions,” Ms Ball said.
“During the investigation, the man admitted to hand feeding a wild dolphin at Snapper Creek while his brother recorded the interaction.
“Both brothers told wildlife officers they were not aware it was an offence to feed wild dolphins as they knew people could pay to feed dolphins at Barnacles Café, Tin Can Bay.”
Strict conditions apply to the feeding activities at Barnacles Café, including the type and the amount of fish the dolphins can be fed, and how long the fish can be frozen for to ensure freshness.
“This is a regulated activity overseen by the department and ensures the dolphins don’t receive their daily food intake at Barnacles Café and continue to hunt for fish in the wild,” said Ms Ball.
“The fine of $431 is much lower than the maximum fine a court can impose for feeding a wild dolphin, which sits at $11,500.”
Ms Ball said that people in boats and swimming in the water need to give dolphins space, and must keep at least 50 metres away if they are in the water.
“Skippers must not approach within 150 metres in front of and behind a pod of dolphins and 50 metres if approaching from the sides of the pod,” she said.
“If a dolphin approaches a boat within these distances the skipper must disengage the gears or withdraw from the area at a speed less than six knots.
“People who ignore these rules risk maximum penalties up to $17,000.”
Unregulated feeding of wild dolphins increases the risk of health issues from being fed fish that is not fresh or part of their natural diet, such as pilchards.
“There are other risks that people must be aware of, including dolphins associating boats and people with free food,” Ms Ball said.
“This can put wild dolphins in danger of being struck by vessels or becoming entangled in fishing gear if they begin to approach boats for food.
“Hand-feeding wild dolphins can also interfere with their natural hunting behaviour and their natural pod behaviour.”
carla.mascarenhas@news.com.au
Originally published as Aussie’s costly act in close dolphin encounter
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