A group of "like minded volunteers who wanted to learn more about the dolphins in the Port Phillip Bay in order to protect them" developed the Dolphin Research Institute in 1989. With it's official incorporation as a non-profit organization in 1991, the Institute currently offers scholarships to Bachelors of Science students who desire to learn as much as possible regarding dolphins.
The Institute's mission is stated as "To ensure the well-being of dolphins and their environment." The organization does this by taking population census, environmental data, and the effects of humans on dolphin lives. The institute uses state of the art equipment such as aerial photography and digital shape analysis to document each dolphin that is seen and identified so that their patterns of behavior and interaction can be tracked.
One of the latest additions to the Institutes projects is determining the effects of "dolphin-swim encounters," also known as "dolphin interactive tours," on the dolphin's behavior, feeding and interaction with their pod. The information for this study is being gathered by documenting boating activity, tour operator activity, and environmental conditions while the "dolphin-swim encounters" are actually taking place. The Institute claims to have invested over 3000 hours to date, with funding by zoology grants, grants from the Federal Department of Tourism, and the McDonald's Restaurants. The results of the study will be used to "implement a licensing system for the tour operators in Port Phillip Bay."
The Institute states that they currently have over 12,000 photographs of dorsal fins of various dolphins from the Port Phillip Bay area. Why are dolphins identified by their dorsal fins? There are two primary reasons. First, using dorsal fin photography to identify dolphins in non-invasive, and thus does not harm the dolphin in any way. Secondly, the dorsal fin of the dolphin is similar to human facial features. Each is similar, having the same "parts," but each is also unique. With each little crevice, curve, and nick, the dolphins can be given their own identification.
By the Institute conducting their studies, gathering information, and identifying both individual dolphins and their pods, the public, as well as other dolphin based organizations, will be able to learn new information regarding these aquatic wonders. Questions such as "Why do dolphins leap?" or "Why is the population of dolphins depleting so rapidly?" may have light shed upon them. With this new information, we may be able to give back to the dolphins instead of taking from them their environment, their feeding grounds, and eventually, their lives.
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