Bottlenose dolphins in UK coastal waters face increasing welfare threats from boat disturbance, entanglement and pollution, with well-studied resident populations providing evidence of cumulative impacts.
Bottlenose dolphins subjected to persistent boat pressure redirect time and energy from foraging and calf care to avoidance behaviour. Calves raised in high-disturbance areas show lower survival rates and altered development. Entanglement causes drowning or slow death from exhaustion and injury. These highly sentient animals experience something analogous to chronic stress when habituated to boat disturbance.