Cooperative Fishing

Cooperative fishing between Australian Aborigines and dolphins is
far more widespread than what was first thought, a University of
Queensland academic has found.

David Neil of the Department of Geographical Sciences and Planning,
University of Queensland said originally it was thought that
cooperative fishing between Aborigines and dolphins was limited to
Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island.

Mr Neil said reports of cooperative fishing from Fraser Island, the
Gold Coast and northern New South Wales "suggest that Aboriginal
human-dolphin cooperatives are not restricted to Moreton and Stradbroke
Islands and were probably quite widespread in Eastern Australia."

"It seems that bottlenose dolphins are the norm for fishing
cooperatives," Mr Neil said.

He said that on North Stradbroke Island and on the coast of Moreton
Island, the fish species that are preyed upon are mullet (Mugil
cephalus) and tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix).

Mr Neil said tailor fishing on Moreton Island was "assisted by dolphins
driving the fish towards land."

The Aborigines would then spear the fish, "often getting two on one
spear," Mr Neil said.
Mr Neil said the dolphin-human fishing cooperatives described from
eastern Australia "are generally consistent with those reported from
locations elsewhere."

"Men on shore observe mullet travelling along the coast, too far out to
reach from land. Then, if bottlenose dolphins happen to be passing
simultaneously, the men shout, whistle or slap the water to attract the
dolphins.

"If the dolphins then move inshore, the mullets are trapped against the
beach, and a great melee follows, with men scooping or spearing mullet
in the shallows and fish and dolphins leaping in every direction," Mr
Neil said.

Mr Neil said that even though in cooperative fishing, "both humans and
dolphins obtain an 'economic' benefit," there are "a range of potential
negative impacts of feeding marine mammals."

A recent study in the United States has found that feeding marine
mammals "can affect their ability to cope and live in their natural
habitat?it can cause migratory animals to remain in areas after their
natural prey species have left and the animals could be subjected to
food shortages," Mr Neil said.