Marine Conservation Biology - Hawaii

Conserving Marine Biodiversity in the World’s Most Remote Island Chain

Marine Mammals and Ecotourism

Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) in Hawaii use shallow near-shore waters as resting habitat during the daytime. This habit puts them in potential conflict with human activities in the near-shore environment. A large and growing ecotourism industry takes advantage of the dolphins’ presence by offering opportunities to observe and swim with them. Many researchers believe that such activities disturb the dolphins and may, over time, affect their reproductive rates or lead them to abandon important resting habitat. How can we balance the needs of spinner dolphins and ecotourism?