tay at least 50 yards S from dolphins ove away cautiously if dolphins show signs of M disturbance Th e development and implementation of Dolphin SMART involves all stakeholders, including federal government agencies, non-governmental lways put your engine in organizations, researchers, commercial businesses, and neutral when dolphins members of the public. are near A To learn more about becoming Dolphin SMART or for a current list of active Dolphin SMART efrain from feeding, participants, email: touching, or swimming- [email protected] Rwith wild dolphins Or, visit the Dolphin SMART Web site: www.dolphinsmart.org each others to be TDolphin SMART

All photos taken under NOAA Fisheries Service permit.

Dolphin SMART is made possible through support from the following sponsors:

Dolphin SMART Mission To promote responsible viewing of wild dolphins in coastal waters Why Practice Responsible Viewing? A SMART Start! History of Dolphin What it Takes to be Bottlenose dolphins are SMART... Dolphin SMART... frequently seen in coastal A special area of the Florida Keys waters of the Southeastern National Marine Sanctuary is home All participants must U.S. and can easily be to a resident group of bottlenose voluntarily adhere to: viewed from shore or by dolphins. It is also where many boat. Watching them in businesses conduct dolphin tours • Program Criteria: Legal requirements, policies, and their natural habitat can be in a limited geographic area. Th e guidelines, as well as best viewing and advertising an exhilarating experience. However, when we approach heightened amount of human practices to prevent harassment of wild dolphins. wild dolphins too closely, move too quickly, or make activity in this area may cause too much noise, we increase the risk of disrupting their unnecessary stress to the local • Training and Education: Participation in an initial natural behaviors, such as migration, breathing, nursing, population by disrupting their natural behaviors. training workshop and yearly online refresher breeding, feeding, and sheltering. Disruption of these training. natural behaviors is a form of harassment and against Th is prompted conservation agencies, including NOAA’s Federal law. National Marine Sanctuary Program and National • Evaluation for Participation and Recognition: Marine Fisheries Service, the Dolphin Ecology Project, Initial evaluation to establish participation and What is Dolphin SMART? and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, as receive program recognition. Annual evaluation to Dolphin SMART is a unique, voluntary recognition and well as local commercial operators and members of ensure active compliance with the program criteria education program off ering participation incentives for the public, to team up and and determine the program’s eff ectiveness. commercial businesses conducting wild dolphin viewing develop a multifaceted program tours that voluntarily follow the “program criteria,” to promote responsible and educate their customers about the importance of viewing and advertising of SMART-ly Recognized... wild dolphins and recognize responsible viewing of wild dolphins. Among other Upon successful completion of the training and things, Dolphin SMART commercial businesses who participated. Before long evaluation, Dolphin SMART businesses receive materials operators engage in identifying them as active Dolphin SMART participants, responsible advertising the program called, Dolphin SMART, was off to a great start! such as fl ags and decals featuring the Dolphin SMART further promoting logo and current calendar year. responsible dolphin viewing. Th e program What it Means to be also includes an important Dolphin SMART... Look Before You Book! research component that provides insight about wild Dolphin SMART businesses provide an enhanced tour dolphin populations in local areas and helps to monitor experience by off ering customers: Only businesses with fl ags and decals the eff ectiveness of the program. featuring the current calendar year are • Detailed knowledge about the laws protecting wild considered active Dolphin SMART Dolphin SMART Program Purpose: bottlenose dolphins. participants. • Minimize the potential of wild dolphin harassment • Information on how to responsibly view wild caused by commercial viewing activities. dolphins and recognize signs of harassment. • Reduce people’s expectations of wanting to closely • Fun and informative educational materials. Get Off to a Great Start, interact with wild dolphins in a manner that may • Details about local dolphin populations and Be Dolphin SMART! cause harassment. research. By choosing to follow the Dolphin SMART criteria, • Eliminate advertising that creates expectations to • Up-to-date knowledge about wild dolphin businesses demonstrate their care and concern for engage in activities that may cause harassment. conservation by attending continuing education dolphin conservation and responsible wildlife viewing • Educate the public about the importance of workshops to enhance educational opportunities for and advertising. responsibly viewing wild dolphins. themselves and their customers.