What are the threats to bottlenose dolphins?
The greatest threats to bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. Atlantic coast are fishery interactions and pollution. Many times, dolphins become entangled in recreational and commercial fishing gear, such as pound nets, monofilament gill nets, and crab pots. Dolphins in some areas have also become accustomed to begging for food from boats and stealing fish from nets, which puts them at greater risk of becoming entangled. In order to reduce fishery interactions, there is much collaboration between marine mammal researchers and fishermen on gear modifications, fishery closures, and ways to deter marine mammals from approaching fishing nets. Chemicals in the marine environment are also problematic to bottlenose dolphins. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) include insecticides and flame retardants, many of which are toxic and are no longer produced by industry. However, these materials had previouslyrun off into the water and persisted in the marine environment over time. These toxins enter
