Dolphin encounters growing in SW Florida waters

Concern is growing about dolphin encounters.

You've seen it — dolphins stalking boats in order to eat fish released by anglers, dolphins begging like their brethren at Sea- World, and dolphins stealing bait or catch off fishing lines from piers.

You also may have seen or read about the results of such behavior. Dorsal fins scarred by monofilament line cuts. Dolphins dead from ingesting line, lures and hooks. Dolphins teaching their young to interact with humans.

It's disturbing and far more frequent than it used to be. Perhaps that's a result of more people in Southwest Florida and an increasing number of people fishing. Even if you are a good steward on the water, dolphin interactions sometimes can't be avoided.

My family and some friends anchored near Redfish Pass recently to swim and eat lunch. When we headed back, a bottlenose approached. We had no rods and reels. The dolphin worked the boat's stern, then the port and then the starboard. We all watched, no one throwing a thing to it. Then we saw the pint-sized dolphin with it. Mom was teaching it to circle and beg.

We were saddened. What at first seemed like a great nature sighting for the kids diminished to a visual commentary on a large problem for dolphins of the southeastern United States.

You would think the risk of a hefty federal citation would deter people. Believe it or not, feeding or harassing dolphins can result in civil or criminal penalties, with fines as high as $20,000.

Research and reports have been done, trying to determine why some of the animals interact with anglers while others do not. Ongoing research is keeping keep tabs on behavior by identifying individual dolphins. They have names such as FB 106 or FB 246; in one case, a dolphin is identified by the name Beggar.

Stats have been compiled — in 2006, for example, 2 percent of Sarasota Bay's resident dolphins died because of ingestion of monofilament line, lures or hooks. Pictures with captions tell the story as well as reports. In one, a 4-year-old dolphin calf lies dead on a stretcher-like device. The words read that it was "the son of a begging mother that died within six weeks of being observed begging in the region occupied by Beggar."

Handouts and materials have been created on "dolphin-friendly fishing and viewing tips." The latest version is a nicely laminated pocket-sized version with 10 items that speak to conservation and regulations. Among them: use circle hooks, inspect gear to avoid unwanted line breaks, reel in your line if a dolphin appears, keep trash in a lidded container so line and discarded gear won't blow back into the water.

I was glad to see recently that efforts have been stepped up further.

The 2008 Ecotour Provider Series "Interacting with Wildlife from Sea to Shore" featured a more-than two-hour program on dolphin encounters. It happened earlier this month at the old Rutenberg library building and drew a crowd of people who give nature tours aboard powerboat, guide kayak tours, volunteer in coastal parks and others.

Representatives from Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mote and the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed issues and shared information with the group, which was captivated by the information, according to several people who attended.

"There was so much I didn't realize," said Elaine Swank, a longtime volunteer for Lee County Parks & Recreation and an avid conservationist.

The result? She's going to do something about it by taking a plastic tennis ball canister with a lid and applying Velcro to it so it can be strapped onto her kayak. Then when she's on the water, she can pluck line out of mangroves and stow it to bring back to shore and recycle. It's an idea that was presented at the Ecotour Provider Series — an idea that already the Southwest Florida Paddling Club is looking at throwing its weight behind.

Change in dolphins' behavior is needed; people taking the time to learn about dolphin encounters is one step toward a solution.

— Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@yahoo.com

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