Nearly three dozen people were under investigation this week for harassing a pod of dolphins in Hōnaunau Bay, according to Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources.
In a news release issued Tuesday, the department said that Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers initiated cases against the alleged dolphin harassers after a “routine patrol” on Sunday.
Swimmers in the South Kona district were “actively pursuing,” the dolphin pod Sunday, according to the release. In 2016, Phys.org reported on studies that indicate human interaction can harm dolphins.
“A team of researchers with members from institutions in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. has found evidence that suggests increased dolphin familiarity with humans has led to an increase in injury and death to the marine mammals,” said the report. “In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the team describes their study and why they believe current trends could lead to a drop in the dolphin population along the Florida coast.”
Dolphins and porpoises “play an important role in the overall balance of the marine environment,” according to NOAA Fisheries, which said that “studies have explored the effects of noise and chemical pollution, habitat degradation, and changes in climate on these animals.”
NOAA Fisheries also explained that “all dolphins and porpoises are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and some are also listed under the Endangered Species Act.”
Drone footage and photos appear to show the group of 33 people harassing the marine mammals in Hōnaunau Bay, and officers alerted them to the violation.
“They were met by uniformed officers on land, where a joint investigation was initiated by DOCARE and the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE),” said the news release. DOCARE Officers are deputized as federal officers and are authorized to enforce federal marine laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
As of Saturday, Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources had not provided an update on the case via an online news release.
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