PANAMA CITY BEACH — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is taking to the skies this Labor Day weekend to warn Bay County beachgoers it’s illegal to feed wild dolphins.
In an attempt to better educate the public, the agency will fly banner planes to communicate the message both today and Monday over Panama City Beach.
“This is just another tool and strategy to reach as many people as we can,” said Stacy Horstman, a bottlenose dolphin conservation coordinator with NOAA. “You want to reach the tourists in Panama City. You want to educate them before they get out on the water.”
Although the agency has been focused on combating wild dolphin feeding in recent years, Horstman said the situation has not improved in Bay County, an area labeled a “hot spot” for illegal interaction with the species.
In high traffic tourist areas like St. Andrews State Park, she said it’s not uncommon for a dolphin to approach a boat with an open mouth.
Horstman advised boaters in that situation to ignore the dolphin and keep their hands and feet inside the boat, something many visitors don’t know to do.
NOAA recently conducted a survey on residents’ and visitors’ attitudes on wild dolphin feeding and found that while more than half of locals knew it was illegal, the overwhelming majority of visitors did not.
“People don’t see the harm immediately, but the dolphins and their behaviors change,” Horstman said of illegal feeding. “The dolphins that come out of the water with their mouths open, that’s not a wild dolphin behavior.”
The impact has even become generational, with mother dolphins teaching calves to beg for food instead of hunt for it.
“They’re going and approaching every boat looking for a free handout,” Horstman said. “The moms are teaching their calves, unfortunately, the same risky behavior and that’s not a natural feeding technique.”
While it’s difficult to see an end in sight, Horstman said the behavior can be reversed with education, self-policing and enforcement, with the fine for one count of illegal dolphin feeding reaching upward of $5,000.
“We know that they’ll eventually go back to doing what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “It’s going to be a challenge, and it’s going to take everybody working together and holding each other accountable.”