The Citizen (KZN)

New call to end swimming with Hawaii dolphins

- Los Angeles

– US federal officials are seeking a ban on swimming with Hawaii’s spinner dolphins, saying the encounters popular with tourists are harming the nocturnal creatures’ sleeping habits.

The proposal by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheri­c Administra­tion (NOAA) would ban swimming with Hawaiian spinner dolphins or approachin­g the animals within 45 metres. The measure would affect highly popular excursions that allow tourists to swim with the mammals or get near them by boat.

“We are taking this action because spinner dolphins in the main Hawaiian islands are experienci­ng intense pressure from swimmers and other ocean users looking for a dolphin encounter,” Ann Garrett, of the NOAA’s Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, told reporters.

The playful and naturally curious creatures hunt for fish, shrimp and squid in deep waters offshore by night, and rest during the day in shallow waters. – AFP

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa