National Marine Fisheries Service - Pacific Islands Regional Office

NOAA/NMFS/Pacific Islands Regional Office

To report monk seal sightings:

To report stranded / entangled marine mammals:

1-888-256-9840

To report stranded / entangled
sea turtles:

983-5730 (Oahu)

	Spinner Dolphin - Human Interaction EIS and Rule-making
	In recent years there has been an increase in human/spinner dolphin interactions in the main Hawaiian Islands. Commercial operators that offer "swim with wild dolphin" tours and individuals that swim or kayak from shore have been interacting with the dolphins during times when these animals are at rest. Scientific research has shown that the dolphins' behaviors have been affected by such human disturbances. The Protected Resources Division is drafting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the potential rulemaking under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to provide more protection to Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
	Scoping process	Kealakekua Bay: Resting habitat for Hawaiian spinner dolphins
	To learn about the results from the October/November 2006 public scoping meetings, please view the following:
		Research
		To learn about current and past research on human impacts to the Hawaiian spinner dolphin please view the following:
	Spinner Dolphin Human Interaction EIS Information Update (June 2007, pdf 563 kB) Public Scoping Summary Report (Apr 2007, pdf 856kB) Appendix A (Apr 2007, pdf 105kB) Appendix B (Apr 2007, pdf 3MB) Appendix C (Apr 2007, pdf 320kB) Appendix D (Apr 2007, pdf 121kB) Appendix E (Apr 2007, pdf 670kB)


		Spinner Dolphin Research references (Oct 2006, pdf 108kB)
		Updates
		For updates on current research and upcoming meetings concerning the Hawaiian spinner dolphin, please join the NAIANEWS listserv:
		http://listserver.afsc.noaa.gov/read/ all_forums/subscribe?name=naianews
	Public scoping meeting, Oahu
	Upcoming Meetings / Lectures



	Community Outreach and Education
	The Protected Resources Division (PRD) has partnered with communities here in Hawaii who are concerned about human impacts to spinner dolphins. These groups monitor spinner dolphin resting bays and provide information and educational materials to visiting public and tourists.

	To learn more about volunteer opportunities monitoring spinner dolphins, please contact:
	Jayne LeFors (808) 944-2277 Jayne.LeFors@noaa.gov

	To learn more about the potential impact of swimming with wild spinner dolphins, please visit our webpage entitled "Swimming with Wild Spinner Dolphins"

	Background/Educational materials:
	Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) (Apr 2006, pdf 64kB) Federal Register Notice of Intent (Oct 2006, pdf 67kB) Power Point Presentation: Spinner/Human Interaction Scoping meeting (Oct 2006, pdf 920.92 kB) Spinner NEPA Poster (Oct 2006, pdf 1.29MB) Spinner EIS Poster (Oct 2006, pdf 1.23MB) Spinner Biology, Abundance, Distribution Poster (Oct 2006, pdf 142kB) Spinner Dolphin Potential Threats Poster (Oct 2006, pdf 141kB) Day in the Life Poster (Oct 2006, pdf 249kB) Article: "A Hard Day's Night: Spinners Also Need Their Rest" (Oct 2006, pdf 5MB) Spinner Dolphin brochure (July 2006, pdf 149.72kB) Swimming with Wild Spinner Dolphins