Hawaiian spinner dolphins may not have to entertain bored primates much longer:
Tourists would be prohibited from swimming with dolphins near Hawaii under a new proposal from the Obama administration. The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed Tuesday to establish a 50-yard barrier that prevents people from getting too close to Hawaiian spinner dolphins, even though they are not listed as endangered or threatened species. This could affect tourism companies, including those that take people dolphin watching, as well as residents who attempt to swim, snorkel or kayak with Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
[...] "The number of commercial operators engaged in wild dolphin viewing has grown dramatically in Hawaii in recent years, putting new pressures on easily accessible groups of resting Hawaiian spinner dolphins," the agency wrote.
Also at Miami Herald (AP).
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday August 24 2016, @11:26PM
In my country it is illegal to approach a marine mammal closer than 100 metres, and has been for a long time. If the marine mammal approaches you, there's nothing you can do and you won't be prosecuted.
In reality there are very few prosecutions as people treat whales and dolphins with respect (generally speaking).
When I was a younger man I was on a friend's boat in coastal waters, and a whale surfaced within about 10 metres of us. It might have been 15 metres long and was travelling an awful lot faster then us. There would have been nothing we could have done to avoid it if it decided to ram us, although I don't think whales ram boats by choice.