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Community rallies behind Adelaide dolphins
Dolphinsafe headquarters
Former AMLR Coordinator Geoff Rogers Geoff Rogers and Dolphinsafe President Aaron Machado with Dolphinsafe vehicle
Rubbish at the foreshore
An education campaign to help Adelaide's renowned dolphin population survive has prompted the local community to clean up polluted waterways in the South Australian capital.
More than 300 Bottlenose dolphins regularly visit Barker Inlet and the Port Adelaide River estuary, off the Gulf of St Vincent, with 20 to 30 dolphins considered permanent residents. The area is the only place in the world where wild dolphins live within a city.
But the region, which contains a working port, a wastewater treatment plant and supports industry and power generation, had been neglected with tonnes of rubbish and old cars and other wastes strewn across the adjacent Lefevre Peninsula.
Funding
In 2004 the Project Dolphin Safe Association received $30,000 from the Australian Government to raise awareness about water quality in the Port River area.
Activities
Project Dolphin Safe President Aaron Machado said it was a wake-up call to the community about taking responsibility for the health of the Port River environment and its dolphins.
“This area was a known wasteland before Project Dolphin Safe got on board to rescue the dolphins and their habitat,” Aaron said.
“With the help of the Envirofund we were able to produce community announcements for TV and radio to create more widespread awareness about the region's very special natural assets.
“People are now much more alert to the major threats to dolphins, such as entanglements in fishing tackle and other floating debris, which account for 90 per cent of all dolphin rescues.”
Brochures were also produced to help school children learn about dolphins and how to protect them and habitats.
“We've attracted many generous volunteers who help us clean up tonnes of rubbish and waste from in and along the Port River, and with the dolphin pod monitoring,” Aaron said.
“We've also restored important Saltmarsh habitat within Mutton Cove, one of the last remaining natural habitats on the Lefevre Peninsula.”
Achievements
Today the population of Bottlenose dolphins in the Port River and Barker Inlet is protected by the newly-established Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, which was formed by the South Australian Government in response to the community's concern about dolphin safety and the quality of their environment.
“We lobbied hard for the sanctuary,” Aaron said. “It's just the first step in protecting these fascinating mammals for future generations.
“Education is the key to encouraging respect for dolphins and the many other beautiful marine species in the Port River area”.
More information
- Aaron Machado, President, Project Dolphin Safe: (08) 8262 5452 or aaron@projectdolphinsafe.com
Project Dolphin Safe
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