We Know You’d Love To, But
Please Don’t Feed Flipper
REPORTS
BoatU.S.
“For me, it started with one hit of sardines.” So says a “streetwise” dolphin in an
animated NOAA public service announcement devised last year to keep people from
breaking the law by feeding wild dolphins.
The soul-baring marine mammal, engaged
in a fireside chat along with several furry
friends, has proven popular with young and
old alike, and the lighthearted approach
to an issue of growing seriousness seems
to be working. But changing the face of
“Flipper” from water pet back to wild animal, is no easy task. The announcement,
produced by a coalition of government
agencies and private organizations alarmed
at the prevalence of illegal feeding, is trying to let people know that feeding fish, or
anything else, to wild dolphins is not only
against the law, it’s also harmful to these
iconic critters. Over time it causes begging
for food from humans. That upsets their
natural role as hunters, alters their diets,
and draws them closer to boat propellers
and potential injuries.
U. S. CUS TOMS AND BORDER PATROL
“Wild dolphin feeding is an issue in
the southeast U.S., particularly Florida,”
says Stacey Horstman, Bottlenose Dolphin
Conservation Coordinator for NOAA
Fisheries Service. The dolphins aren’t helping much either, according to Horstman.
They tend to become chronic moochers
and can be aggressive and threatening
when they don’t get the handout they
expect. Under the federal Marine Mammal
Protection Act, feeding and harassing wild
marine mammals can result in fines up
to $20,000 and a year in jail for serious
offenders.
“We’ve had two cases recently where
civil penalties were issued,” says Horstman.
“One to a commercial tour operator for
$12,000 in the Florida panhandle, and
one to a recreational boater for $500 in
southwest Florida. Further, we’ve issued
a few formal written warnings throughout
the southeast.” For the full public service
announcement visit: www.dontfeedwild-dolphins.org/ — Ann Dermody
s it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a hot boat, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) newest patrol boat to be more precise. The James Bond- style 43-foot prototype recently unveiled in San Diego has been on sea trials from Florida to Detroit o Puerto Rico over the past few months. Built by Nor-Tech Boats of Fort Myers, Florida, the boat carries 600 gallons of fuel and can hit 75 mph — compared to about 60 mph and half that fuel capacity for boats CBP now uses. The agency hopes eventually to replace its entire fleet of about 60 boats, each between five and 10 years old. Go-fast and high- tech don’t come cheap; the prototype cost $875,000. But that also buys infrared cameras and sensors that can “see” potential bad guys as far off as the horizon and beyond, an improve- ment over the night-vision goggles CPB agents use now. Shock absorb- ers in the seats also mean a more stable ride for those agents when in high-speed pursuit. The new boats are expected to concentrate on the well-worn drug smuggling routes from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada. Tighter security on land borders has meant an increase in illegal traffic on the water, according to authori- ties, so the super speed- boats could be rolling out just in time. — Ann Dermody I
U.S. Customs
Agents And Their
60-Knot Super Boats
