Marine Animal Interaction
Code of Conduct
Be a responsible marine user & help care for wildlife!
This code of conduct is designed to minimise the disturbance and negative impacts to marine animals from direct human interactions.
The information provided here aims to provide advice and increase awareness regarding the risks of disturbance to marine life caused by the presence and behaviour of people and vessels to marine life.
There is an ever increasing number of people engaging in marine recreational activities including whale and dolphin watching, scuba diving, snorkelling, free diving and observing wildlife using drones.
With this, comes an increase risk in the incidence of disturbance, harassment and negative interactions between people and marine wildlife. Such negative impacts can have dire consequences for the wildlife that people have come to encounter and enjoy. Many negative encounters occur simply due to people not being aware of how to interact best with marine wildlife and how to recognise and minimise disturbance.
Positive encounters with marine life that don’t disturb the animals or their habitats are the ultimate. It is our privilege, not our entitlement, to visit and share the water with these incredible animals, while they go about their daily lives in the dynamic and ever changing underwater world.
This code of conduct is designed to minimise the disturbance and negative impacts to marine animals from direct human interactions.
How to Recognise if a Marine Animal is Disturbed
· Animals frequently change their direction of travel and movement
· Animals change swim, dive or flight patterns
· Animals change their behaviour (e.g. from resting or social behaviours to travelling)
· Animals move away
· Animal becomes aggressive
Potential Negative
Effects of In-water Marine Wildlife Interactions
· Increased disturbance & stress
· Changes in behaviour & habitat use
· Increased risk of illness & injury
Potential Positive
Effects of In-water Marine Wildlife Interactions
· Increased appreciation & connection
· Safeguarding of the health & well being of marine life
· Improved protection of species & habitats
Marine Animal Interaction Code of Conduct
· Keep a lookout for marine animals
· Give marine animals space
o Avoid moving directly in front, behind, above and into travel path of the animal. Remain parallel to their path of movement.
o Breeding animals and those with dependent young are particularly vulnerable to disturbance.
o Abide by land, sea and air regulations
· Do not disturb, chase, follow or harass wildlife
o Repeated disturbance to marine animals can cause stress or injury that can lead to illness or death, displacement from critical habitats and disruption to critical behaviours.
· Stay quiet and avoid loud noise or sounds to try and attract animals
· Do not feed or touch marine animals
· Avoid sudden movements and slowly move away from marine animals
· Avoid crowding the marine animals
o If in a group, swim to one side of the animal
· Avoid separating a group of animals
· Limit the time in the presence of the animal
· Avoid disturbing or damaging habitats & move away if animal changes behaviour (or becomes aggressive)
· Leave nothing behind
· Report injured deceased or distressed animals
· When snorkelling or diving, watch your fins! Ensure your fins don’t touch or damage habitats or wildlife!
