learning the stranding technique from their mothers and
older siblings. Sadly, most people guilty of this interference
just don’t know any better. Rust notes, “I’ve seen people try
to touch or swim with the dolphins. Although dolphins seem
curious and friendly, they are still wild and unpredictable
animals.” The goal of the volunteer program is to create
awareness among beachgoers about how their behavior can
disrupt the feeding patterns of the dolphins and perhaps
drive them away altogether.
Not only is human/dolphin interaction stressful for the
dolphins and dangerous to humans, it is a federal offense.
Dolphins and all other marine mammals are protected under
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that prohibits
the harassment, hunting, capturing, killing, or feeding of any
marine mammals or any attempt to conduct such activities.
Violations of the MMPA carry fines of up to $100,000 and jail
terms of up to a year.
Generally, people need to stay 15 yards away from
dolphins on land and 50 yards from dolphins when in a
boat (including kayaks and stand-up paddleboards).
However, any action by a person that changes the otherwise
natural behavior of a dolphin can be deemed harassment
under the law. Observers should move away slowly and
cautiously if the dolphins show any signs of distress such as
circling, rapid breathing or chuffing, splashing, or jumping.
Binoculars and zoom lenses on cameras are really the best
SUMMER/FALL 2018 • VOLUME 40
and most responsible way to view any dolphin activity.
All of our dolphin volunteers are committed to promoting
responsible viewing of our wild dolphins. Lynne Sager, long-
time Kiawah turtle patroller and one of the first volunteers
for the Town/LMMN dolphin-monitoring program stated,
“I love watching our strand-feeding dolphins and being on
the beach. Adding an education component, so our visitors
understand and learn how to view these animals respectfully,
is a perfect fit! I wanted to be involved at the program’s
inception so I could watch it grow!”
According to LMMN and other documented research,
bottlenose dolphins are the most common marine mammals
in the Charleston coastal area. They are also long-lived, apex
predators, key to the effective functioning of the marine food
chain. Thus, toxins in the water and other deteriorating factors
in the environment accumulate in dolphins and other top-
of-the-food-chain predators such as sharks. Studying and
understanding these magnificent animals is not just fascinating
in its own right; their health can provide early-warning signals
for our own well-being. If these “sentinel species” are not doing
well in our world, we would ignore this ominous indicator at
our peril. We hope, with the continued funding of dolphin
monitoring by our local governments and the continued
outreach and education efforts of LMMN and others, dolphin
strand feeding will continue to be one more fantastic reason
to love the natural environment we have here on Kiawah. NK
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