Chapter IX — Marine Mammal Permits 



Figure 16. Illegal and risky feeding of a wild bottlenose dolphin off Florida. 



Marine Patrol. The Commission was pleased to learn 

 that in 1998 the Service provided federal enforcement 

 officers who concentrated efforts on preventing 

 feeding and other activities that result in the harass- 

 ment of dolphins. 



Despite efforts by the Service to address the 

 situation in the southeastern United States, swimming 

 and feeding activities do not appear to have abated. 

 As indicated in Chapter VIII, the Commission, in 

 cooperation with the Service, contracted with re- 

 searchers to conduct a pilot study of interactions 



between humans and bottlenose dolphins near Panama 

 City Beach, Florida. The objectives were to assess 

 interactions between humans and dolphins and to 

 design a study to evaluate how habitual in-water 

 interactions with humans affect the behavior of wild 

 bottlenose dolphins. In a 28 August 1998 report, the 

 contractor noted that numerous encounters between 

 humans and dolphins were observed and that it seems 

 likely that virtually all interactions between dolphins 

 and humans in the region are based on attracting 

 dolphins with food. One outcome of the pilot study 

 was a decision to undertake a literature review to 



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