ABSTRACT

Human interaction (HI) is known to disturb cetaceans. Regional wildlife interaction guidelines exist to mitigate harmful impacts, but the efficacy of these guidelines is understudied. HI with bottlenose dolphins was documented opportunistically in Tampa Bay from 2009 to 2018. Vessel compliance to the guidelines was low with 80% of encounters being non-compliant. HI was observed in 33% of days in the field and in 22% of dolphin sightings. Poisson regression identified vessel type as a strong key factor related to compliance, with faster more maneuverable boats more likely to be non-compliant. Additionally, HI involved recreational vessels much more frequently than tourism vessels. These results likely underestimate true HI rates because of sampling limitations. Researchers should opportunistically document HI including vessel characteristics and vessel behavior to help quantify compliance. When developing HI guidelines and their promotion, managers should carefully consider which stakeholders engage in HI to best direct resources to that audience.

摘要

众所周知，人类互动 (HI) 会扰乱鲸目动物。存在区域性野生动物互动指南以减轻有害影响，但这些指南的有效性尚未得到充分研究。从 2009 年到 2018 年，坦帕湾有机会记录了宽吻海豚的 HI。船舶对指南的遵守率很低，80% 的遭遇不符合规定。HI 出现在 33% 的野外天数和 22% 的海豚目击事件中。泊松回归将船舶类型确定为与合规性相关的重要关键因素，速度更快、机动性更强的船只更可能不合规。此外，HI 比旅游船更频繁地涉及休闲船。由于抽样限制，这些结果可能低估了真实的 HI 率。研究人员应适时记录 HI，包括船舶特征和船舶行为，以帮助量化合规性。在制定 HI 指南及其推广时，管理人员应仔细考虑哪些利益相关者参与 HI 以最好地将资源导向该受众。