From Norris to Now: A comparison of historic and present-day management and research on spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) around the Island of Hawai‘i

Abstract

The spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris longirostris) of the Island of Hawai‘i use shallow, protected, warm and easily accessible bays during the day to rest and thus are targeted for swim-with dolphin programs. Since these interactions occur when the dolphins should be resting there is growing concern about the potential effects of these interactions and whether management interventions are required. Dr. Kenneth Norris was a pioneer marine mammal researcher and studied these spinner dolphins until the mid 1990’s. Using Kenneth Norris’ work as a historical baseline, I examined several key aspects of the spinner dolphin biology, research and management and how each has developed or changed since Norris and his colleagues originally studied the population. This project is presented as a set of web articles on the Spinner Dolphin Acoustics, Population Parameters and Human Impacts Research (SAPPHIRE) Project website.