Dolphins and other small cetaceans are a diverse group of species that are found primarily in temperate and tropical seas, and in the case of river dolphins, even in fresh water.  Some hug coastlines; others live far out in the open sea. From the tiny vaquita in Baja California to the massive killer whale or orca (the largest of the dolphins, found in all oceans of the world, including polar seas), “small” cetaceans face an equally diverse set of threats, from entanglement in fishing gear to changes in their habitat, from pollution to live capture for public display, from hunting to new and emerging diseases.
 
HSI seeks to minimize the impacts of human activities that affect small cetaceans, directly and incidentally. From Taiwan to California and from New Zealand to the Black Sea, our campaign focuses on the live trade in dolphins, commercial and subsistence hunts, entanglement in discarded fishing gear, and the ever increasing degradation of habitat, particularly for coastal and riverine species, who must share their space with human development.

Read “A Blueprint for Dolphin and Whale Watching Development” by Erich Hoyt [PDF].