Remember that dolphins and porpoises use sound as a daily part of their life, for locating and capturing food, locating and communicating with one another, detecting predators and forming a picture of their underwater environment in often very dim light. Many of the sounds made by craft directly overlap the frequencies used by dolphins and porpoises, particularly those caused by cavitation of the propellor blade, producing a very loud broadband, high frequency noise. This causes interference with their daily activities, sometimes excluding them from preferred feeding or nursery areas. It can also lead to undue stress, particularly when mothers are pregnant or with small young. Scientific studies have shown that dolphins respond negatively to craft moving directly at them, increasing the time they spend underwater, and often causing them to swim rapidly away from the sound source.

BRIXHAM SEAWATCH

Dolphin Code of Conduct

There is no reason why boats and dolphins should not be able to co-exist if care is taken to observe the following rules:

• Do not chase dolphins or drive a boat directly toward them; wherever possible, let them approach you.
• Do not respond to them by changing course or speed in a sudden or erratic manner; slowing down or stopping suddenly can confuse and alarm dolphins as much as sudden acceleration.
• Avoid dolphins with young
• Do not swim with, touch or feed dolphins, for your safety and theirs.
• Ensure that no more than one boat is within 100 metres, or three boats within one kilometre of dolphins at any one time.

Lindy Hingley, Downdale, Bridge Road, Kingswear, Nr Dartmouth, TQ6 0DZ. Tel: 01803 752253