Conservation Status
Over tens of thousands of spinner dolphins, mostly eastern and white-bellied varieties, were killed in the thirty years after purse seine fishing for tuna was introduced in the 1950s. The process killed probably half of all Eastern Spinner Dolphins. See Pantropical spotted dolphin for a discussion. They have also been contaminated by pollutants such as DDT and PCBs. Spinner dolphins, as with other species impacted by the ETP tuna purse-seine fishery are managed both nationally by the coastal countries and internationally by the IATTC. The IATTC has imposed annual stock mortality limits on each purse seine and promulgated regulations regarding the safe release of dolphins. Spinner dolphins in Hawaii have multiple daily visits to their nearshore resting grounds. The Big Island, Hawaii on the Kona Coast is a popular area for Spinner Dolphins. Boats take people out daily to snorkel and interact with the local dolphin population.
The eastern tropical Pacific and Southeast Asian populations of the Spinner dolphin are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), since they have an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.
In addition, the Spinner dolphin is covered by Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU) and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).
Read more about this topic: Spinner Dolphin
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