Dolphins need a healthy environment to survive. Our projects contribute towards regulating coastal development projects that impact inshore dolphins, and reduce marine debris.
By-catch in fisheries is a known major threat to the majority of marine mammal species. Inshore dolphin populations are particularly impacted through by-catch in gillnet fisheries, where nets are often set close to shore in habitat preferred by inshore dolphins (eg. headlands and river mouths).
Mitigating by-catch is a complex issue that involves a variety of stakeholder groups, including local communities.
The Snubfin Dolphin Conservation Project currently has a strong focus on understanding the by-catch of inshore dolphins in subsistence gillnet fisheries in Papua New Guinea, and working with local NGOs and community groups to address this issue.
Habitat degradation and pollution is an increasingly serious threat facing inshore dolphin populations.
Inshore dolphins have strong preferences for particular coastal habitats. Without these habitats inshore dolphins, and the aquatic animals they rely upon for prey, cannot survive. Habitat degradation and pollution is an increasingly serious threat facing inshore dolphin populations; where important habitat is lost from habitat degradation and development, and ingestion and entanglement of plasticscan cause injury and death.
Habitat destruction from coastal development projects and port operations is an increasingly serious issue, particularly when this development occurs adjacent to an area known to be important to inshore dolphins.
