Strandings of dolphins in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, South Australia

Published source details Adamczak S.K., Kemper C. & Tomo I. (2018) Strandings of dolphins in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, South Australia. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 19, 105-111.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Legally protect habitat for marine and freshwater mammals Action Link

Legally protect habitat for marine and freshwater mammals

A before-and-after study in 1987–2012 in the Port River estuary, South Australia (Adamczak et al. 2018) found that after the area became legally protected a similar number of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus strandings were recorded compared to before protection, but the number of strandings caused by humans decreased. There was no significant difference in the average number of dolphin strandings recorded before (1.1 strandings/year) and after (2.3 strandings/year) the area became legally protected. However, the authors note that more data may be required over a longer time period to detect changes. The proportion of dolphin strandings caused by humans (intentional killing, boat collisions, entanglement in fishing gear) vs. non-human causes (disease, natural causes, live strandings) was lower after the area became legally protected (2 vs. 20 strandings respectively) than before (6 vs. 9 strandings). The area (118 km²) was adjacent to a major port and urban/industrial area and became a legally protected dolphin sanctuary in 2005. This involved higher fines for intentional harm, fishing restrictions (commercial and recreational), enforcement patrols and an education and awareness raising programme. Dolphin strandings (live and carcasses) were recorded before (1987–2004) and after (2005–2012) the area was legally protected.