Articles

• Bio-fuels
• 10 Questions on the NSLGC
• Dolphin SMART
• NOAA Team Focuses on Ways to Better Serve Customers
• Aquaculture Workshop
• Sea Briefs Editor Leaves Post
• D'Abramo Leaves MASGC Position
• Tim Mulvaney Comes Aboard
• Coastal Symposium to Focus on North Central Gulf Issues
• Success Story
• Upcoming Events
• Featured Publication
• From the Director

Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Laura Bowie

This newsletter is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs

MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8840
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 08-011-03

Dolphin SMART
Initiative Helps Dolphin-Watching Tours Get SMART

In an effort to promote conservation of wild bottlenose dolphins along Alabama’s coast while preserving the integrity of nature tourism, several partners have joined forces to implement a Dolphin SMART program in coastal Alabama. The local Dolphin SMART partners include MASGC, the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention& Visitors Bureau, the Alabama Department of Conservation and National Resources (ADCNR), NOAA Fisheries Service, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and the Dolphin Ecology Project (DEP).

The Dolphin SMART program began in the Florida Keys in 2007. It is a voluntary recognition and education program for businesses that seek to responsibly view dolphins in the wild, thereby, promoting their conservation while educating their guests about responsible viewing and its importance. Dolphin SMART was developed by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Fisheries Service, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, WDCS and DEP. The emphasis of the program is to teach dolphin basics, expressed as part of their logo: “Dolphin SMART”

• Stay at least 50 yards from dolphins
• Move away cautiously if dolphins show signs of disturbance
• Always put your engine in neutral when dolphins are near
• Refrain from swimming with, touching or feeding wild dolphins
• Teach others to be Dolphin SMART

In response to a recent workshop in Orange Beach, Ala., ADCNR’s State Lands Division Coastal Section committed to help implement the program locally. The first training session will be Oct. 6, 2008. Upon successful completion of Dolphin SMART training and a subsequent evaluation, businesses can receive a Dolphin SMART flag and decal to display on their vessel, a logo and advertising statement, public recognition on the Dolphin SMART Web site and local media publicity. For more information, go to www.dolphinsmart.org or for information about the upcoming workshop, contact Kelly Brinkman at ADCNR at 251-621-1216.