Two jet skiers could face up to two years in jail or a huge a fine after ‘disruptively’ cruising their jet skies seemingly meters away from an innocent pod of dolphins
A jet ski rider faces two years in prison or a £50,000 fine after a shocking incident saw him risk the lives of an innocent pod of dolphins.
The rider was flying along the coast just off Brighton Beach, near Adelaide in Southern Australia, on Sunday, August 10. After sailing along the coast, he made the heartbreaking decision to charge through a pod of dolphins who were enjoying the warmer waters closer to the shore. In footage of the incident captured and circulated on social media, the “disturbing” act has shocked and angered locals, leading to an official police investigation to begin.
According to 7 News, Australian Police and the Department of Environment and Water (DEW) have officially begun investigating the incident, as, in law, jet skis are not allowed within 300m of sea animals, with the footage showing them seemingly sail through much closer with one rider seemingly meters away from a fin. It comes after beachgoers are left stunned after rare sea creature spotted off British coast.
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A jet ski rider’s shocking act with a pod of dolphins could land him in jail if authorities catch up with him. DEW spokesperson Lisien Loan told local news: “It is a concern if we see them at what appears to be a lot closer than that.
“Maximum penalties under the Parks and Wildlife Act for interfering with a marine mammal are $100,000 or two years imprisonment.
“Jet skis are loud and have erratic movement, and that can disturb the dolphins. If they’re moving as a group in a pod, and enjoying each other’s company, or fishing or resting, then that interaction would disturb them.”
The footage shows a second jet skier also cutting close to the pod, which Loan is worried may alter their behaviour. She added: “What we’re really wanting is for people to observe our wild animals in the wild and behave normally.
“If a marine mammal approaches you if you’re in a kayak or a boat, that’s fine, but it’s really about not approaching them and not disturbing their normal behaviour or interfering with them.
“It’s really important, particularly at the moment with some of the other impacts on our marine environment, that we look after them and give them the best chance to lead their best lives.”
While much more tame modes of transport, such as small boats or kayaks, can be allowed to be much closer, 50m, the loud and disruptive jet skis can do much more harm to the marine animals.
A second rider captured in the footage also appears to be unacceptably close to the dolphins. While boats and kayaks can get as close as 50m from sea mammals, different rules apply to the far more “disruptive” jet skis.
The news comes just after a large super-pod of dolphins has found a new home much closer to British soil, just off the coast of Scarborough in North Yorkshire.
The town has been chosen as a favourite hangout for a ‘superpod’ of 225 bottlenose dolphins and their calves, thought to be the biggest in the UK. Currently, in England, there’s just one other dolphin population, off Cornwall to Sussex, which is believed to be much smaller, at 40 individual dolphins.