sector of tourism worldwide," according to 

 the survey report. "Along the North 

 Carolina coast the demand for wildlife- 

 related activities such as birding, marine 

 mammal observation and kayak ecotours is 

 rapidly increasing. As businesses catering 

 to visitors increase, we need to know more 

 about how these people are impacting the 

 natural and economic environments and the 

 quality of life for local residents." 



The survey focused on watchers of 

 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. It's 

 the most commonly observed cetacean in 

 the wild because of its inshore range — and 

 in the world because of its history in oceanari- 

 ums and adaptability to life in captivity. 



"Though well-studied as a species, we 

 know very little about the range, association 

 patterns, overall population structure and 

 number of bottlenose dolphins ranging along 

 North America's East Coast," says Pierce. 



"Dolphin watching can provide an 



educational, low-impact activity for visitors 

 and potentially serve as a platform to 

 facilitate much-needed research on dolphins 

 in inshore and nearshore waters of the 

 western Atlantic," she adds. 



One important survey result was that 

 more than half of the participants were 

 interested in learning more about the marine 

 environment. However, 80.3 percent knew 

 little or nothing about the Marine Mammal 

 Protection Act (MMPA). 



Passed in 1972, the MMPA provides 

 strong legal protection for polar bears, sea 

 otters, walruses, dugongs, whales, por- 

 poises, sea lions and various species of 

 dolphins. The act also prohibits people from 

 feeding, touching or swimming with wild 

 dolphins. The maximum fine for violating 

 the MMPA is $20,000 and one year in jail. 



The survey also found that dolphin 

 watchers participate in a variety of activities — 

 from touring historical sites to beachcombing. 



"This is good news for the tourism 

 economy," says Thigpen. "People are here 

 to spend money as well as learn about the 

 coastal environment. Nearly two-thirds of 

 the participants had annual family incomes 

 over $50,000." 



Although whale watching began in the 

 1970s on the West Coast as an activity for 

 adventure travelers, dolphin watching is a 

 relatively new commercial enterprise. 



"Whale watching is a prime example 

 of a nature-based business that has 

 engendered public support for marine 

 conservation, helped protect endangered 

 species and provided vital support for 

 marine mammal research," says Pierce. 



"Because of broad public support for 

 research and protection of the gray whales, 

 the number of whales increased. These 

 whales were eventually removed from the 

 endangered species list." 



C o n t i n u e d 



"Dolphin watching can prouide an educational, low-impact activity for visitors and potentially serve as a platform to facilitate 

 much-needed research on dolphins in inshore and nearshore waters of the western Atlantic." 

 - Ann Pierce, north Carolina Sea Grant 



