Further to our previous article on unauthorised dolphin feeding, DERM today placed a public notice in the Gympie Times advising of its awareness of the unauthorised feeding of dolphins taking place at Carlo Point. The notice also advised that on the spot fines of $300 would apply.

DERM Notice as appeared in Gympie Times Public Notices 19 Nov 2009.

The Marine Mammal Conservation Plan discussion paper notes that a person must not, without reasonable excuse, intentionally feed a whale or dolphin in the wild unless doing so under a program permitted under the Marine Parks Regulation 2006 (eg Norman Point).

There are significant risks to the dolphin population from changed behaviour due to dependence on food handouts and loss of hunting skills and even impacts on breeding. The discussion paper notes that inshore dolphin species are particularly susceptible to these impacts.

We are aware of unauthorised feeding and interaction with Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins taking place locally and have grave concerns that this situation is getting out of control as the number of visitors and boats to the region increases. We believe these unauthorised interactions will present a real danger to this small population of dolphins that frequent this area.

One of major issues, and we will emphasise this in our response to the discussion paper, is the lack of adequate signage, brochures and publications informing casual visitors of the rules on approaching, feeding and interacting with dolphins. Further, there is a lack of visible presence of Parks officers and enforcement to discourage unauthorised interactions and intervene when unauthorised feeding is taking place.

Our concern is that the long term viability of this dolphin population will be compromised and the very thing that attracts tourism to this region will eventually disappear.

The maximum penalty for intentionally feeding (other than permitted feeding programs) or touching a dolphin is $8,000. The maximum penalty for approaching a dolphin to within less than 100m (300m for jet skis) is $12,000.

Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, the Honourable Kate Jones, yesterday announced a discussion paper on Queensland’s Whale and Dolphin Conservation Plan and Dugong Conservation Plan. Full details of the announcement can be found at the Qld Government media statement web site

The discussion paper can be downloaded from the EPA web site. Submissions on the discussion paper are due by 13 November 2009 - SSSMeg will be making a submission and invites anyone interested to forward us their comments.

Many of the questions posed by the paper are particularly relevant to the Great Sandy Straits including the impact of increased boat traffic and the incidence of boat strike, commercial dolphin interaction and commercial and recreational fishing.

Kate Jones stated “I’d also like to re-affirm that while interactions with wild dolphins are raised as a discussion topic in this paper, it’s the Bligh Government’s intention to continue the limited public feeding of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins at Tin Can Bay.”

In relation to the dolphin feeding at Barnacles Cafe, Kate Jones is quoted as saying that “Wildlife experts say to me that one of the best ways of conserving is through education... The more people who come to appreciate these wonderful creatures up close, the more understanding we as a community will have of the need to work hard for their protection and to look after their habitat.” (Dolphin policy review Brian Williams, Courier Mail, Tuesday, September 29, 2009)

Its been a busy few weeks for SSSMeg - on Saturday we set up a stand (in conjunction with our good friends from Ocean Watch) at the Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival promoting the environment and hopefully educating the public on the unique features of the Southern Sandy Straits section of the Great Sandy Marine Park.

SSSMeg stand at Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival.

Next week we will be at the Heavy Horse Field Day - look forward to seeing you there.