{{Short description|Protected area in South Australia}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}} {{Infobox protected area | name = Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary | image = Tursiops aduncus, Port River, Adelaide, Australia - 2003.jpg | image_caption = Dolphin in the Port River | image_alt = | iucn_category = IV | iucn_ref = <ref name="CAPAD2016">{{cite web|title=Marine Protected Areas in coastal waters of South Australia (refer 'Detailed List' TAB) |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/761994ab-42cc-4f24-952c-c21221861884/files/sa-capad-2016m.xlsx|website=CAPAD 2016|publisher=Australian government|accessdate=15 January 2018}}</ref> | coordinates = {{coord|34|44|35.15|S|138|29|23.64|E|display=inline,title}} | map = South Australia | map_alt = | map_width = 200px | relief = yes | label = Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary | label_position = left | location = [[South Australia]] | established = {{start date|2005|06|04|df=y}}<ref name=sagg>{{cite journal|title= Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act (Commencement) Proclamation 2005 |journal=The South Australian Government Gazette |date=2 June 2005|page= 1684 |url= http://www.governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/2005/June/2005_052.pdf |accessdate=2 May 2017 |publisher=Government of South Australia}}</ref> | area_km2 = 118.75 | area_ref = <ref name="CAPAD2016"/> | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | visitation_ref = | website = http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Adelaide/adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary | nearest_city = [[Port Adelaide, South Australia|Port Adelaide]] | nearest_town = | governing_body = [[National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia]] }} '''Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary''' ('''ADS''') is a [[marine protected area]] in the Australian state of [[South Australia]] located on the east coast of [[Gulf St Vincent]] in and adjoining the north-western part of [[Adelaide]], covering the estuary of the [[Port River]] around [[Port Adelaide]] and northwards past [[St Kilda, South Australia|St Kilda]]. It was established in 2005 for the protection of a resident population of [[Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin]]s (''Tursiops aduncus'').
The dolphins are keenly watched by dolphin enthusiasts, as well as being a tourist attraction, touted as the only city in the world with wild dolphins living in it.
==Background== Dolphin expert [[Mike Bossley]] lobbied for the sanctuary from the mid-1990s, becoming interested after reading about a dolphin that swam along next to racehorses being exercised in the water off [[West Beach, South Australia|West Beach]], further down the coast.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/> The dolphins in the area are Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins.<ref name=mp/>
The sanctuary was proclaimed in 2005 for the purpose of achieving the following two objects:<ref name=sagg/><ref name=Act-s7>{{cite web|title=Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005 – Sect 7 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/adsa2005238/s7.html |publisher=Government of South Australia |accessdate=2 May 2017}}</ref> <blockquote> (a) to protect the dolphin population of the [[Port Adelaide River]] estuary and [[Barker Inlet]]; and<br /> (b) to protect the natural habitat of that population. </blockquote> The sanctuary is also required to achieve the following six objectives:<ref name=Act-s8>{{cite web|title=Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005 – Sect 8 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/adsa2005238/s8.html |publisher=Government of South Australia |accessdate=2 May 2017}}</ref> <blockquote> (a) the protection of the dolphin population of the Port Adelaide River [[estuary]] and Barker Inlet from direct physical harm is to be maintained and improved;<br /> (b) the key habitat features in the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet that are necessary to sustain the dolphin population are to be maintained, protected and restored;<br /> (c) water quality within the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet should be improved to a level that sustains the ecological processes, environmental values and productive capacity of the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet;<br /> (d) the interests of the community are to be taken into account by recognising indigenous and other cultural, and historical, relationships with the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet and surrounding areas, and by ensuring appropriate participation in processes associated with the management of the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet;<br /> (e) public awareness of the importance of a healthy Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet to the economic, social and cultural prosperities of the local communities, and the community more generally, is to be promoted; <br /> (f) the principles of ecological sustainable development in relation to the use and management of the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet are to be promoted. <br /> </blockquote>
==Governance and description== [[File:Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary map 2018.pdf|thumb]] The Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (also referred to as the ADS<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>) is managed by the [[National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia]], an agency within the [[Department of Environment and Water (South Australia)|Department of Environment and Water]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary | website=[[National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia]] | url=https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary | access-date=5 April 2022}}</ref> In 2015, management activity was supported by a community volunteer group known as the ADS Action Group which was created in 2012 and which had 50 registered volunteers in 2015.<ref name=annualreport2015>{{cite book |title= Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005, Annual Report, 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 |date= 2015 |publisher= Government of South Australia |url= http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/adelaide_and_mt_lofty_ranges/corporate/annual_reports/adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary-annual-report-2014-15-rep.pdf |page = 12}}</ref><ref name=mp/>
The sanctuary covers an area of coastline extending from [[Port Gawler, South Australia|Port Gawler]] in the north to [[North Haven, South Australia|North Haven]] in the south, and includes the waterways of the [[Port Adelaide River]], the [[Barker Inlet]] and some associated channels, as well as [[Torrens Island|Torrens]] and [[Garden Island (South Australia)|Garden Island]]s, and inlets on the [[Lefevre Peninsula]] such as Mutton Cove. The habitat protected by the sanctuary consists of "mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh, tidal flats, tidal creeks and estuarine rivers".<ref name=LMV>{{cite web|title=Search result for Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary with the following datasets selected – "Aquatic Reserves", "Dolphin Sanctuary", "NPW and Conservation Reserve Boundaries" and "Suburbs and Localities" |url=http://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/ |work=Location SA Map Viewer |publisher=Government of South Australia |accessdate=2 May 2017}}</ref> As of 2014, it covered an area of {{convert|118.75 |km2}}.<ref name="CAPAD2016"/><ref name=mp>{{cite book |title= Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Management Plan |date= June 2008 |publisher= Government of South Australia, Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) |url= http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/coasts/cons-gen-dolphinsanctmanagplan.pdf |isbn=978-1-92123-807-9|pages= 2, 4, 7, 8–22 & 24}}</ref>
The Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary shares territory with the following [[protected area]]s: [[Barker Inlet-St Kilda Aquatic Reserve]]; [[Port Gawler Conservation Park]]; the majority of the [[St Kilda – Chapman Creek Aquatic Reserve]]; [[Torrens Island Conservation Park]]; and parts of the [[Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park—Winaityinaityi Pangkara]]. These are located in localities and suburbs including [[Bolivar, South Australia|Bolivar]], [[Buckland Park, South Australia|Buckland Park]], [[Dry Creek, South Australia|Dry Creek]], [[Globe Derby Park, South Australia|Globe Derby Park]], Port Gawler and [[St Kilda, South Australia|St Kilda]].<ref name=LMV/><ref name=AIBS>{{cite web |title= Saltfields, Creating the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary |url= http://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/files/4bbca74f-e5cd-4199-8613-a39900f191a0/saltfields-creating-bird-sanctuary-policy-gen.pdf |publisher= The Government of South Australia, Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) |date= 1 September 2014 |page= 19 |accessdate= 5 December 2014 |archive-date= 26 June 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150626111415/http://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/files/4bbca74f-e5cd-4199-8613-a39900f191a0/saltfields-creating-bird-sanctuary-policy-gen.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=SAGG-AIBS>{{cite web |title=National Parks and Wildlife (Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park—Winaityinaityi Pangkara—Mining Rights) Proclamation 2016 |url=http://www.governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documentstore/2016/October/2016_069.pdf |work=South Australian Government Gazette |publisher=Government of South Australia |pages=4240–4243 |accessdate=28 October 2016 |archive-date=28 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028154238/http://www.governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documentstore/2016/October/2016_069.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
To the south, the sanctuary adjoins the Adelaide Metropolitan Beaches Restricted Area, which extends from North Haven in the north along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline to [[Sellicks Beach, South Australia|Sellicks Beach]] in the south, and which is described in the ''National Parks and Wildlife (Protected Animals—Marine Mammals) Regulations 2010''. Both the sanctuary and the Adelaide Metropolitan Beaches Restricted Area are areas subject to the additional regulatory requirements regarding "commercial activities" in respect to interaction with marine mammals, including all species of dolphins present in South Australia.<ref>{{cite book|title=National Parks and Wildlife (Protected Animals—Marine Mammals) Regulations 2010 under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972|date=2014|publisher=Government of South Australia (GSA), Attorney-General's Department|url= http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/R/NATIONAL%20PARKS%20AND%20WILDLIFE%20(PROTECTED%20ANIMALS%20-%20MARINE%20MAMMALS)%20REGULATIONS%202010/CURRENT/2010.263.UN.PDF |access-date =2 May 2017|pages=2, 8 & 9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117191236/https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/R/NATIONAL%20PARKS%20AND%20WILDLIFE%20(PROTECTED%20ANIMALS%20-%20MARINE%20MAMMALS)%20REGULATIONS%202010/CURRENT/2010.263.UN.PDF|archive-date=17 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The sanctuary is classified as an [[IUCN protected area categories#Category VI – protected area with sustainable use of natural resources|IUCN Category VI protected area]].<ref name="CAPAD2016"/>
The dolphins are a popular tourist attraction, with several boat tours available for viewing them play in the river, and touted as the only city in the world with wild dolphins living in it.<ref>{{cite web | title=Swim with dolphins or take a river cruise | website=[[City of Charles Sturt]] | url=https://www.adelaidebeaches.com.au/dolphin-tours | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Boat tours | website=Port Adelaide Boat Hire & Tours | url=https://www.portadelaideboathire.com/boat-tours | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>
== Dolphin population== Two dolphin populations, resident and visiting, have been closely observed by [[Mike Bossley]] since the late 1980s. He conducts ongoing research within the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary through the not-for-profit organisation Whale and Dolphin Conservation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr Mike Bossley |url=https://www.dolphindock.com.au/dr-mike-bossley/ |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=Dolphin Dock |language=en-US}}</ref> The dolphins are also observed and photographed informally by volunteer members of the Official Port River Dolphin Watch Facebook group and by tourists. The wild dolphins can be seen from the shore, from boats or kayaks and are an important tourist attraction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dolphin Haven |url=https://ourport.com.au/about/discover-port-adelaide/dolphin-haven/ |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=Our Port |language=en-AU}}</ref>
While dolphin deaths in the sanctuary have been recorded before (including two in 1998<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=2015-03-25|title=Dolphin found dead in Adelaide's Port River area was shot|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-25/dolphin-found-dead-in-adelaides-port-river-area-was-shot/6346396|access-date=2021-10-24}}</ref>), a population decline became apparent between the late 2010s and early 2020s.<ref name="Sutton 2022" />
Around 2013, it was estimated that around 40 dolphins could be easily spotted in the gulf waters, and 12 playing and feeding in the river.<ref name="Sutton 2022">{{cite web | last=Sutton | first=Malcolm | title=Why are the dolphins dying? | website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=4 April 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-04/dolphin-deaths-mystery-adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary/100795994 | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>
In 2015, a dolphin named Graze, first sighted in 1992 and since tracked, was found dead. A [[necropsy]] conducted by the [[South Australian Museum]] found four [[shotgun]] pellets in her body. She was not the first dolphin from the pod to have been shot.<ref name=":1"/>
Between 2018 and 2019, 11 of the 13 calves born had died, with many of them hit by boats.<ref name=abc>{{Cite news|date=2019-12-12|title=Port River dolphin death blamed on 'red tape' as rescuer claims he was denied access to save it | website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-12/dolphin-death-blamed-on-red-tape-as-rescuers-claim-access-denied/11792066|access-date=2021-10-24}}</ref> Four dolphins were killed by boat strikes in 2018.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/> All of the calves born in the summer of 2018-19 died.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-03-19|title=Port River dolphin calf population decimated| website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-19/all-port-adelaide-dolphin-calves-born-this-season-have-died/10915348|access-date=2021-10-24}}</ref>
In 2019, a dolphin named Star ingested fishing gear and died after having hooks in his mouth for nearly three weeks. The director of AMWRRO, a marine wildlife rescue organisation based in Port Adelaide, said that bureaucratic processes contributed to the death of Star as he was not given authority to use his equipment and expertise in a timely manner.<ref name=abc/>
In October 2020, a male dolphin called Marianna died from [[Blunt trauma|blunt force trauma]], most likely after collision with a boat. In 2021, a series of deaths and disappearances of dolphins from the sanctuary raised scientific and community concern about the future of the sanctuary's dolphin population. In August, a 12-year-old dolphin called Tallulah, was found dead, and two other dolphins, Doc and Twinkle, appeared to have disappeared.<ref name=":0" /> Twinkle had been rescued from entanglement on four prior occasions.
In August 2021, there was a population of around 20, with 10 residing in the estuary and a further 10 coming and going from Gulf St Vincent waters. Dolphins that inhabit or visit the sanctuary face a range of threats, including boat strikes, fishing line entanglement and shark attacks. They also face viruses and pollution, including [[Toxic heavy metal|heavy metals]] and other substances that [[bio-accumulate]]. Calf mortality is also high. Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary researcher Marianna Boorman reported in August 2021 that the pod had lost 10 young calves and eight adult females in the previous four years. In that time, only three new calves had survived.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2021-08-25|title=Beloved dolphin's death sparks probe into declining Port River population| website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-25/poor-health-port-river-dolphins-under-investigation/100405136|access-date=2021-10-24}}</ref>
In October 2021, another dolphin named Hunter was captured and euthanised after being seen in poor physical condition, and two dolphins named Talulla and Squeak (Hunter's brother) were found dead in the second half of 2021, along with another dolphin near [[Semaphore Beach]].<ref name="Sutton 2022"/> In October 2021, dolphin watcher and advocate Jenni Wyrsta predicted that the pod could be completely extinct by 2026.<ref>{{Cite web| date=2021-10-22 |title=Fears of looming Port River dolphin extinction|url=https://facebook.com/watch/?v=239813541515463&_rdr|access-date=2021-10-24|website=7 News| via=Facebook| format= Video}}</ref>
There were 23 deaths of calves between 2017 and early 2022.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>
Some of the names assigned by enthusiasts to the population as of 2022 included Mouse, Crystal, Mel, Bubbles, Hope and Gem, but Gem had not been seen for some time. In March 2022 it was reported that five male abnormally thin male dolphins had been found dead. Numbers in the [[North Arm]] and [[Angas Inlet]] branches of the river, around [[Torrens Island|Torrens]] and [[Garden Island (South Australia)|Garden Island]]s, had declined most, and those found dead were all animals that never strayed far from home. Necropsies showed that the animals' immune systems had been suppressed, allowing opportunistic [[bacterial infection]]s to take hold. Experts from [[University of Adelaide]], [[Flinders University]] and the [[South Australian Museum]] were unable to detect a primary cause for the immunosuppression. [[Morbillivirus]] was being investigated as a potential cause, but it did not appear to be a likely candidate. Other possibilities are being investigated, but nothing definitive had been established by April 2022.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>
Between late 2021 and April 2022, new calves included Saki, alternatively named Frankie (to Dinah); Piki, alternatively named Neon (to Mouse); and Ripple (to Rocket).<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>
==Tail-walking== Several of the dolphins of the Port River have been seen to have exhibit "[[tail-walking]]", a highly unusual behaviour for a wild dolphin.<ref name=dd2018/><ref name=study2018>{{cite journal| author1= Bossley, Mike I. |author2=Steiner, Aude |author3=Brakes, Philippa |author4=Shrimpton, Juliet |author5=Foster, C. |author6=Rendell, Luke |title=Tail walking in a bottlenose dolphin community: the rise and fall of an arbitrary cultural 'fad'. |journal= [[Biol. Lett.]] |date= September 2018 |volume= 14| issue=9| doi= 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0314| pmid= 30185606| pmc= 6170752}}</ref>
This started in 1988 when a female named Billie was rescued after becoming trapped in a polluted [[marina]],<ref name="Sutton 2022"/> and spent two weeks recuperating with captive dolphins. Billie was the same dolphin which had been observed swimming and frolicking with racehorses exercising in the Port River in the 1980s, first named Billy when she had been assumed to be male. After becoming trapped in the [[Patawalonga]] at [[Glenelg, South Australia|Glenelg]], she was rescued and put into placed with several captive dolphins at [[Marineland of South Australia|Marineland]], a marine park which had existed at [[West Beach, South Australia|West Beach]] since 1969, to recuperate. There she observed the captive dolphins performing "tail-walking" – mimicking a standing posture, using her tail to run backwards along the water.<ref name=mess2018/> To perform this movement, the dolphin "forces the majority of its body vertically out of the water and maintains the position by vigorously pumping its tail".<ref name=study2018/>
After being returned to the Port River, she continued to perform this trick, and another dolphin, Wave, copied her. Wave, a very active tail-walker, passed on the skill to her daughters, Ripple and Tallula.<ref name=dd2018>{{cite web | title=Billie | website=Dolphin Dock | date=15 February 2018 | url=https://www.dolphindock.com.au/meet-the-dolphins/billie/ | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>
Billie died young, in her mid-20s, in 2009, of [[kidney failure]], and both of Ripple's calves died young.<ref name=mess2018>{{cite web| url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/west-beaches/the-incredible-tale-of-billie-the-port-river-dolphin-the-worlds-first-wild-tailwalker/news-story/8cae9ccf3771a93e149cbd2e62fb1b27| website= [[Adelaide Now]]| title=The incredible tale of Billie the Port River dolphin — the world's first wild tailwalker| series= Portside Messenger | date=9 May 2018| first=Ashleigh |last=Pisani}}</ref> After Billie's death, Wave started tail-walking much more frequently, and other dolphins in the group were observed also performing the behaviour.<ref name=study2018/> These included Bianca, Angel, Juliette, and Oriana.<ref name=dd2018/> In 2011, up to 12 dolphins were observed tail-walking, but only females appeared to learn the skill.<ref name=gentside>{{cite web | title=The amazing story of Billie, the dolphin who taught her peers how to moonwalk | website=Gentside UK | date=15 October 2018 | url=https://www.gentside.co.uk/animal/the-amazing-story-of-billie-the-dolphin-who-taught-her-peers-how-to-moonwalk_art1800.html | access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref> In October 2021, a dolphin was observed tail-walking over a number of hours.<ref name="Sutton 2022"/>
Scientists have found the spread of this behaviour, through up to two generations, surprising, as it brings no apparent advantage, and is very energy-consuming.<ref name=gentside/> A 2018 study by Mike Rossley et al. suggested:<ref name=dd2018/>{{blockquote|Social learning is the most likely mechanism for the introduction and spread of this unusual behaviour, which has no known adaptive function. These observations demonstrate the potential strength of the capacity for spontaneous imitation in bottlenose dolphins, and help explain the origin and spread of foraging specializations observed in multiple populations of this genus.}}
==See also== *[[Protected areas of South Australia]] *[[List of protected areas in Adelaide]]
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *{{official website|https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/adelaide-dolphin-sanctuary}} *{{YouTube|omWdotib7xg|Port River Dolphins, Behind the News}}, 19 November 2014
{{Marine protected areas of South Australia|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Marine protected areas of South Australia]] [[Category:Protected areas in Adelaide]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 2005]] [[Category:2005 establishments in Australia]] [[Category:Gulf St Vincent]] [[Category:Dolphins]]