Bahamas Dolphin

Dolphins perform crucial roles in their native ecosystems. Wherever they’re found, from the murky depths of the Amazon River to the cold currents of the North Pacific, dolphins function as high-level predators, primarily of fish and squid (and, in the case of the biggest dolphin of all, the orca, virtually anything in the ocean).

Dolphins face a complicated host of anthropogenic threats. The fundamental reason cetaceans need our help—and a glaring issue of “bioethics”—is that we’re the prime reason their lot is so dire today. While dolphins may have sustained low levels of hunting pressure from humans in some regions for centuries, they became truly imperiled in the industrialized era as technological advances permitted us to ply and exploit the oceans to an unprecedented degree.

In the U.S. and in many (but not all) countries around the world, dolphins and porpoises rank as supremely popular creatures: Their public image as smart, friendly, and playful marine acrobats has proven perennially endearing. That positive reputation notwithstanding, these remarkable animals—like all cetaceans—have suffered enormously at the hands of humankind. Our dolphin encounters Bahamas experience is partly about joyous communion with a beautiful animal, but it’s all in support of the preservation of wild populations.