Even if you’re a big fan of dolphins and would like to see them up close, sea-themed parks and aquatic swim-with-dolphins programs serve to keep dolphins in captivity, where they experience significantly shorter life spans. Improper physical contact with dolphins can transfer diseases, making dolphins susceptible to fungal infections and a host of other problems. It’s much safer to leave them alone where they can live peacefully and happily.
The tuna fishing industry is the culprit most often blamed for dolphin deaths, and “dolphin-safe” tuna is a label you can often find at grocery stores. That’s an easy way to make a simple change, but the problem is much larger than just tuna. Make sure you stay informed and learn everything you can about the operation.
It doesn’t need to be complicated. Take little steps by avoiding plastic coffee cups when you go to the coffee shop, bringing your own reusable thermos instead. Avoid packaged food and products with excessive plastic packaging, choosing instead to purchase bulk groceries, or used goods. Reuse plastic bags and avoid getting new ones at the store. The “trash vortex” is a patch of garbage that floats in the North Pacific ocean, made up primarily of plastics, Styrofoam, and other garbage carried by the current into a single place where it swirls constantly. It’s the size of Texas and it’s full of dead ocean-life, birds, and other creatures that became ensnared in the waste. If you want to save dolphins, the impact of human waste on the ocean must be reduced immediately. [3] X Research source
Our use of fossil fuels is directly related to the health of the oceans, meaning that any steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint from transportation will be directly linked to the safety of dolphins. Start taking steps to drive less, switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles, or seek alternate methods of transportation, like walking, riding your bicycle, and sharing rides. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 65,000 chemicals approved for use in commercial and industrial cleaners, as well as automotive products, and only about 300 of them have been tested for toxic properties. We have no idea about the impact seemingly “safe” products have on the environment. [4] X Research source Oil tanker spills get a lot of airplay, but sewage runoff sends twice as much oil into coastal waters every year. Non-source point pollution is extremely difficult to control or trace, since it comes from the air, though we can be sure that most of it is directly related to commercial pollutants and industrial waste.
Reduce your energy consumption, focus on reducing physical waste, and make more informed purchases with commercial cleaners, soaps, and other household products to reduce your own impact. Avoid anything with parabens, phosphates, and Styrofoam. Aside from temperatures, oxygen depletion is a major problem associated with global climate change. Nitrogen and phosphorus are elements found in fertilizer, commercial toxins, and sewage, which enter coastal waters and deplete the oxygen in the water. Think of it as sucking the air out of a room the dolphins breathe in. A single gram of nitrogen or phosphorus can deplete between 10 and 100 grams of oxygen in seawater.
Subscribe to dolphin watch organizations to keep up-to-date on current efforts and legislation that you could contribute to and encourage others to participate in. BlueVoice is an ocean conservation organization that works to save dolphins and whales, specifically by tracking and fighting dolphin hunts in Japan and Peru. Devote a considerable amount of your social media presence to dolphin causes and making others aware of what’s going on in the oceans. The more people know what to avoid and are aware of the threat that dolphins face, the more changes can be made.
Most communications happen online, so you can usually visit your senatorial or congressional representative’s website to learn more about how to get in touch directly. Draft a letter laying out a specific plan of action and demand results, or deny your vote during the next election cycle. Changes specifically need to take into account the commercial and industrial pollutants and the way these contribute to the deaths of marine mammals.
Most communications happen online, so you can usually visit your senatorial or congressional representative’s website to learn more about how to get in touch directly. Draft a letter laying out a specific plan of action and demand results, or deny your vote during the next election cycle. Changes specifically need to take into account the commercial and industrial pollutants and the way these contribute to the deaths of marine mammals.
Organizations like the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Greenpeace, BlueVoice, and other groups are all devoted to saving the lives of dolphins and they all would appreciate financial help to continue the cause.
Try to work on changing your own household first, getting everyone you live with to contribute to the proper consumer choices, then start holding open meetings at a community center or church to share what you know and get others on board. Getting in touch and spreading the word with letters to your local paper, sharing links on social media, and even making up posters can do a lot to share your message and let people know how they can make a difference.
Declare your organization with the IRS and apply for non-profit status if you grow large enough to have significant operating costs and want to start collecting donations from visitors to the site.
In school, work hard in biology and take as many natural science classes as you can. You won’t start out by learning to scuba dive and swim with dolphins, but you’ll be building the necessary foundation to possibly do something like that for a living. When you get to college, there probably won’t be a “marine biology” major, unless you’re at certain coastal universities, but getting a general biology degree will allow you to specialize at the graduate level. Take your education one step at a time.
In school, work hard in biology and take as many natural science classes as you can. You won’t start out by learning to scuba dive and swim with dolphins, but you’ll be building the necessary foundation to possibly do something like that for a living. When you get to college, there probably won’t be a “marine biology” major, unless you’re at certain coastal universities, but getting a general biology degree will allow you to specialize at the graduate level. Take your education one step at a time.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) The Taiji Action Group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Greenpeace
Much of the dubious decision making happens at the legislative level, where corporate lobbyists work to change environmental legislation to indirectly benefit the entities that are destroying it. It can be awfully confusing for the layman, making your contributions to more professional organizations a lot easier than trying to go it alone.
Be tenacious and be loud. You probably won’t get an oil company to start cleaning up their act just by waving some signs around, but you can draw attention to what’s happening, get on television, and make people start paying attention. Throw the ball into their court. Numbers are important, but even small protests register if the cause is important enough and if you’ve got controversy on your side.
While it may seem glamorous, hardcore radical activism can be dangerous and often illegal. If you’re willing to get arrested to serve the cause, you need to do so as part of an organized effort, not by going rogue and getting yourself into trouble without any support.
