Just wanted to share two incidents we had last week if you haven’t already seen them (pictures are attached). Please always document if you can (video is best) and call beach patrol if no volunteer is onsite or you need backup. I’ve alerted Kiawah and Seabrook Town Council.
The first incident I witnessed was a kayaker who stopped on SBI to fish. When the dolphins arrived, the man teased and tossed bait fish at the dolphins, at one point on his hands and knees splashing the water with this fish before tossing it to the dolphin. Unfortunately, we did not have an educator onsite that day to talk to him so I called beach patrol. He stopped but the dolphin continued to approach the man, likely looking for food.
The second incident occurred on July 25th. My volunteer on Kiawah witnessed the man in the photo grabbing the fish as the dolphins pushed them ashore to feed and was teasing the dolphins with it before tossing it to them. Again, beach patrol was controlled and gave the man a warning. Feeding dolphins is a federal offense. Unfortunately, beach patrol only gave warnings and without their information, we cannot pursue any further legal action.
Here’s some recent news articles we’ve been featured in.
—
Lauren Rust
Executive Director
Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network