THE whale and dolphin watching industry is harming the animals, a leading dolphin researcher has warned.
Dr Lars Bejder from Murdoch University said a six-year study of the impact of tourism on dolphins in Western Australia’s Shark Bay had produced some alarming results.
Dr Bejder said the study, which used data going back 22 years, showed that dolphins regularly visited by tourism operators were less successful, and had a slower rate of reproduction, than dolphins not visited by tourists.