Habitat Loss & Coastal Development

Coastal development continues to reshape estuaries, seagrass beds, and mangrove habitats that are essential for marine life. Dredging, urban development, port expansions, and altered freshwater flows degrade water quality and reduce habitat availability for dolphins, fish, turtles and other species.

What we’re doing:
We use this science to inform government planning processes, make submissions to environmental assessments, and advocate for sustainable coastal management. We also work with local communities and government bodies to build awareness and support for protecting key marine and estuarine habitats before it’s too late.

Pollution

Pollution—from agricultural runoff to sewage outflows and plastic debris—is a major threat to marine life. Ingested plastics, oil residues, and heavy metals can build up in the tissues of dolphins and whales, causing illness, immune suppression, and reproductive issues.

What you can do:
Reduce plastic use, support better waste management, and take part in coastal cleanups.

Overfishing

Overfishing is one of the most widespread and pressing threats to ocean ecosystems. When fish populations are depleted or disrupted, it affects the entire marine food web—including top predators like dolphins and whales that depend on healthy prey availability.

The Impact:
Overfishing can lead to direct food shortages for dolphins, whales, seabirds, and larger fish species. It can alter predator–prey relationships, force marine mammals to change their foraging behaviours, and increase competition for remaining resources. Trophic cascades may follow, where the removal of key species disrupts entire ecosystems. In some cases, overfishing also contributes to harmful practices such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which further threatens marine life through habitat damage, entanglement, and bycatch.

Our Response:
We advocate for the enhancement of sanctuary zones and marine protected areas. Through our public education and citizen science programs, we help build awareness of sustainable seafood choices and the ecological connections between fishing, coastal health, and marine megafauna survival.

Entanglement & Bycatch

Fishing gear, discarded lines, and ghost nets can entangle marine mammals, often leading to injury or death. Accidental bycatch—when dolphins & whales are unintentionally caught in fishing operations—is a major cause of mortality for many species.

What we’re doing:
We advocate for improved fishing practices and advocate to reduce entanglement risks in Australian waters.

How you can help:

Reel in your fishing line if dolphins, whales and turtles are about. Report any incidences of entanglement to local authorities. Pick up and keep any fishing line and gear secure. Don’t feed dolphins.

Vessel Strike & Vessel Activities

As boat traffic increases, so does the risk of collision. Dolphins and whales are especially vulnerable in estuaries and coastal areas with high recreational and commercial vessel use. Strikes can cause serious injury or death, particularly for slow-moving species like humpback whales or mothers with calves.

Did you know?
Many vessel strikes go unreported or unnoticed—making it hard to track their true impact on populations.

How to help

Go slow and keep a lookout for marine life when boating. Abide by whale & dolphin watching regulations will help reduce the risk of boat strike and disturbance.

Illegal Feeding of Dolphins

Feeding wild dolphins—whether intentional or not—poses serious risks to their health and survival. While it may seem harmless or even helpful, illegal feeding alters natural behaviours, increases the risk of injury, and creates long-term dependency on humans.

The Impact:
Regular feeding can lead dolphins to associate people and boats with food. This can disrupt natural foraging, reduce fear of humans, and increase the likelihood of boat strikes, entanglement, illness, injury and mortality. Dolphins that are fed may also teach these behaviours to their calves, passing on risky habits across generations. In areas where illegal feeding is common, dolphins have suffered from hook injuries, plastic ingestion, and reduced reproductive success.

Our Response:
We raise public awareness about the dangers of feeding wild dolphins through education campaigns, signage, and community outreach. Our research helps document the behavioural impacts of feeding and supports the enforcement of laws protecting marine wildlife. We work closely with government agencies and local communities to promote responsible wildlife viewing practices that keep both people and dolphins safe.

Noise Pollution

Dolphins and whales rely heavily on sound to communicate, find food, navigate, and maintain social bonds. But human-generated underwater noise—from vessels, sonar, pile driving, and coastal development—can disrupt these vital behaviours.

The impact:
Chronic noise exposure can lead to stress, displacement from critical habitats, disrupted feeding, and even strandings.

Our response:
We advocate for quiet ocean zones, time-area restrictions during sensitive periods, and the inclusion of acoustic health in marine spatial planning.

Whaling & Hunting

In some parts of the world, dolphins & whales are hunted. These practices range from traditional or cultural hunts to large-scale commercial whaling and drive hunts that result in the killing or capture of entire pods.

The Impact:
Hunting poses a direct threat to the survival of cetacean populations. It causes immense suffering, disrupts social groups, and can drive already vulnerable species closer to extinction. Some hunted individuals are sold for meat, while others are captured alive for the global aquarium and marine park trade. Even in regions where hunting is banned, the legacy of historical exploitation has left some populations slow to recover.

Our Response:
We advocate for the full protection of all cetacean species from hunting and exploitation. Through public education, international collaboration, and support for global conservation campaigns, we help raise awareness of the continued threats faced by dolphins and whales around the world. We also promote ethical alternatives to captive wildlife tourism by encouraging respectful, non-invasive wildlife experiences in the wild.

Climate Change

Changing ocean temperatures, sea level rise, and shifting current systems are affecting prey availability, migration routes, and breeding success for many marine species. Coral reef and seagrass losses further reduce critical feeding and nursery habitats.

Future challenges:
Increased marine heatwaves and ocean acidification could fundamentally alter ecosystems unless urgent action is taken.