Dolphins Learn to Follow Fishing Boats for Food as Adriatic Fish Stocks Shrink

Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are changing their hunting habits. Instead of catching wild fish, many now follow trawlers to scavenge for food. In one area, 76% of fishing boats were followed by dolphins. Scientists say baby dolphins learn this technique from their parents. “These days the easiest way to find them is to look for trawlers,” said Giovanni Bearzi, a co-author of the study and president of Dolphin Biology and Conservation in Italy. “Many of them are followed by the dolphins that go to forage and scavenge in their wake.” The study suggests that overfishing has made it harder for dolphins to find food naturally. As a result, the animals are becoming dependent on human activity for survival.