AUSTRALIA: Exciting New Discovery about Port Phillip’s Dolphin Community

Image of Starfall’s calf with Starfall just surfacing in the background (taken under scientific research permit).

Dolphin Research Institute scientists are celebrating the discovery of a special new-calf, marking an exciting milestone for Port Phillip’s unique dolphins.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, December 20, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Scientists from the Dolphin Research Institute are celebrating the discovery of a very special calf born in mid-November, marking an exciting milestone for

Port Phillip’s unique dolphin community.

Ella Hutchinson, the Institute’s Williamson Research Fellow, said, “It wasn’t until I uploaded the images to my computer that I realised the significance of this tiny dolphin. At first, I couldn’t believe what I saw and needed to confirm it with my colleagues.”

What they found confirmed that the little dolphin was the first known calf of the fourth generation of Port Phillip’s community of common dolphins.

This discovery is even more remarkable because Port Phillip is the only bay in the world where common dolphins reside; everywhere else, they live in the open ocean.

Since the Institute's first sighting of five common dolphins near Mornington in 2005, we now have 165 in the Port Phillip Catalogue that use the bay, a testament to the resilience and adaptability of these dolphins and the health of the environment they rely on.

This is a remarkably positive story as in so many places around Australia and other parts of the world, dolphin calves are suffering and not surviving to maturity.

The new arrival is the first calf of Starfall, the grandcalf of Hailey and the great-grandcalf of Esther.

Esther is a remarkable mother who we think had her first calf in 2007. She also has a new calf, her fifth, and it’s only a few weeks older than her great-grandcalf!
 
With at least seven common dolphin calves still reliant on their mothers, the coming months are crucial for their survival, underscoring the responsibility and urgency we all share in protecting these young lives.

“We urge boat owners to respect our dolphins during Summer and not deliberately approach them”, said Jeff Weir OAM, the Institute’s Executive Director. “If you see dolphins, just slow down or stop if it’s safe; they may even come to you. Enjoy the experience and let them swim off without following.”

The basic rules are not to approach dolphins closer than 30m (swimmers), 100m (boat), and 300m (PWC).

“Dolphin Distancing” is a program developed by the Institute to be like Neighbourhood Watch for Dolphins, where the Institute asks caring people to commit to Dolphin Distancing to build respect for dolphins on the water by changing behaviours and having poor behaviours reported. The program encourages responsible behaviour around dolphins. You can commit to Dolphin Distancing and get a sticker for your vessel to remind you.

Starfall’s calf needs a name, so the Dolphin Research Institute will invite everyone who joins their Adopt-A-Dolphin program over the Summer to suggest names for these unique dolphins.

Go to www.dolphinresearch.org.au for more information on Dolphin Distancing and the Adoption program.