Bottlenose dolphin tourism including boat-based watching and swim-with programmes has significant welfare implications for individual animals and groups, particularly in areas with high tourism pressure.
Bottlenose dolphin welfare in heavily touristed areas is compromised by chronic behavioural disruption. The same small groups of dolphins are repeatedly approached by multiple vessels daily, disrupting rest and altering ranging patterns. Individual dolphins that become habituated to human contact face increased risks from boat strikes and are less able to behave naturally.