Historical accounts of human-dolphin interaction and recent developments in wild dolphin based tourism in Australasia

Abstract

An industry based upon taking tourists to watch, swim and otherwise interact with dolphins and whales in the wild has expanded rapidly over the past decade. It is now a large and geographically dispersed activity which occurs in over 65 countries worldwide. One aspect of this industry involves interacting with dolphins and this has become particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand. There are many historical accounts of human-wild dolphin interaction and a detailed review of these records shows that the ‘new’ dolphin based tourism industry has developed from a long history of human-dolphin relationships. This comprehensive literature review also reveals that there are considerable risks, both for the dolphins and for the tourists as a result of these encounters. Risks include harassment, stress, injury and death for dolphins and also injury for humans. It is important that dolphin tourism operators, management agencies and tourists themselves are aware of these risks and manage their activities accordingly.