National Dolphin Day

Dolphins had long been hunted for their meat and blubber and also died from suffocation and strangulation from plastic rings and balloons, but a more specific and surmountable threat led to the creation of National Dolphin Day, observed each year on April 14. Over 200,000 dolphins had been killed by the tuna industry in the two years leading up to 1990, and six million had been killed since the 1960s, with more being killed during most years and the dolphin populations being reduced.

In the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP), on the coast of the Americas from northern Peru to Southern California, tuna fishers sought out dolphins because they could act as spotters for yellowfin tuna. The tuna swim underneath the dolphins—usually pantropical spinner, spotted, and common dolphins—and the fishers chased them with speedboats and then used explosives to frighten them into tight packs, deafening and disorienting them, to lead the dolphins and tuna into huge, mile-long nets called purse seine nets. Exhausted and in shock, the dolphins would get tangled in the nets, which caused broken flippers and beaks. Some escaped wounded, with their sonar affected by the explosives, which caused disorientation and panic, only to be attacked by sharks. Those not lucky enough to escape the nets either drowned—because dolphins need to go to the surface to breathe—or were crushed by the machinery that retracts the nets.

In 1970, it was estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 dolphins were being killed each year this way, with US tuna fleets being responsible for most of the deaths. This helped lead to the passing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, which prohibited the harassment, capture, and killing of marine animals without a permit, and also required US tuna fishers in the ETP to reduce the numbers of dolphins they killed "to levels approaching zero." It led to a new net design and implementation of the "back-down technique," which allowed trapped dolphins to swim out. But too many dolphins still died and the practice was not considered Dolphin Safe.

In the 1980s, Mexico and other ETP countries built up their tuna fleets but were not using the back-down technique. By the end of the 1980s, 80,000 to 100,000 dolphin deaths were occurring per year at the hands of US and international tuna fleets. In 1987, the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of the Earth Island Institute, based in California, began a campaign to stop the killing of dolphins in tuna nets. Public outcry and demand for action came after an undercover video by biologist Samuel LaBudde highlighted the mass killing of dolphins in the ETP.

The reaction to LaBudde's video and the campaign led by the IMMP led to National Dolphin Day and to the Dolphin Safe tuna label in the United States. The Earth Island Institute created National Dolphin Day, with a protest boycott to be held on April 14, 1990. Boycotting tuna was to let companies know of the objection to the fishing practice and to raise public awareness about the plight of dolphins, about how thousands die each year from yellowfin tuna fishing in the ETP. Many mayors across the United States joined with the Earth Island Institute in declaring April 14 as National Dolphin Day.

In the weeks before the holiday arrived, however, a historic agreement was made, which shifted the tone of the day. On April 3, officials from Starkist, which was owned by Heinz at the time, discussed a company proposal for a new dolphin policy. It wasn't agreeable, but another proposal was considered on April 10, and a proposal was eventually worked out on April 12 that banned tuna caught with drift nets that would trap or kill dolphins, ensured worldwide compliance of the ban with all Heinz's products, banned the purchase of tuna caught by any vessel without official observers on board, and guaranteed active support for legislation introduced to Congress that would require warning labels be placed on all cans of tuna caught using dolphins (this was passed later that year when the Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act was added to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)). Tuna that followed the new rule became known as Dolphin Safe tuna—tuna that is "caught without setting nets on or near dolphins." Two competing tuna canners, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea, quickly pledged that they also would buy only Dolphin Safe tuna.

With these changes, National Dolphin Day became a day of celebration instead of protest, and the boycott was lifted. The Dolphin Safe tuna label dramatically reduced the killing of dolphins. Now over 800 tuna companies have pledged to be Dolphin Safe in their tuna fishing practices—about 95% of the global tuna industry. There were 100,000 dolphins killed in the ETP in 1989, but in 2020 there were only 689, and none were from US vessels. Although, the standards weren't adopted by fishing fleets from Mexico, Venezuela, and Columbia. While the numbers have been reduced drastically in the ETP on account of Dolphin Safe, dolphin populations still suffer. Years of poor fishing practices have left some dolphins depleted. Adult dolphins that still die because of nets also often have calves that become orphans and die. Dolphins are also threatened by climate change, which depletes food sources and habitats.

After the first celebratory year, National Dolphin Day was not as widespread in the following years. But, it began being celebrated again more widely in the internet age. Today, National Dolphin Day celebrates dolphins and biodiversity, while also bringing awareness to the harm done to dolphins by poaching, hunting, and climate change. There was a particular resurgence of the holiday in the 2020s, with it being embraced by a number of dolphin-related organizations. For example, the Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) and PacWhale Eco Adventures celebrated the day by highlighting their Adopt a Bottlenose Dolphin program and Lānaʻi Snorkel and Dolphin Watch in 2024. Similarly, that same year SeaWorld hosted dolphin educational sessions, presentations, and dolphin interactions, including a chance to meet the dolphin care team, take part in a feeding and training session, and to learn hand signals used with dolphins. (Although, there is some debate, including from the IMMP, whether SeaWorld is good for dolphins.)

Dolphins are marine mammals, cetaceans along with whales and porpoises. There are 42 dolphin species making up five family groups. The oceanic dolphin family has 38 members, and then there are four river dolphin families. Dolphins live in oceans, seas, and rivers. Some like to live near the coast, while others like to live away from it in patches of shallower water. Most dolphins live in tropical and temperate waters. River dolphins live in freshwater, with examples being the Amazon River dolphin, Ganges River dolphin, Guiana dolphin, and Irrawaddy dolphin. Some dolphins have the word "whale" in their name, such as killer whale, false killer whale, and pilot whale, while two have both "whale" and "dolphin" in their name, the northern right whale dolphin and southern right whale dolphin.

Dolphins are different from fish in a number of ways. Unlike fish, they need to visit the surface to breathe. Their tails move up and down instead of side to side. They are warm-blooded and have blubber, while fish are cold-blooded. They give birth to live young, while fish lay eggs. Usually, one calf is born at a time, and it is nursed by its mother and will stay with it for about six years. Dolphins are closely related to porpoises. Porpoises differ by being smaller, not having much of a beak, and all except the finless porpoises have a small dorsal fin, unlike dolphins.

The largest dolphin is the orca, also known as the killer whale. Larger males may grow over 32 feet in length and weigh over 22,000 pounds. They also are the fastest dolphins and may reach speeds of 30 mph, while dolphins generally reach speeds of 18 mph. The two smallest dolphins are the Franciscana, at 6 feet, and Hector's dolphin, which is about 5 feet long. Smaller dolphins may live up to around 20 years, while larger dolphins may live to be more than 80. Some dolphins have gone extinct. The baiji dolphin, also known as the Yangtze River dolphin, died as a result of human activity. The Maui dolphin, a subspecies of the Hector's (New Zealand) dolphin, faces the largest threat today, being on the brink of extinction.

With curved mouths that make them look like they have a permanent smile, dolphins are smart and friendly. They are playful and like to frolic and jump out of the water. Their vocalizations include squeals, clicks, and whistles, which they use for communication and echolocation, a natural sonar that helps them find their prey, including crustaceans, squid, and fish. The echolocation of some dolphins includes making 1,000 clicking noises a second.

Dolphins are social, interacting with each other. They swim together, protect each other, and hunt for food as a team. A group of dolphins is known as a pod. Pods may have a dozen or more dolphins and generally contain 2 to 30 dolphins. There are also superpods, when pods come together, forming groups of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins. These groups are short-lived and most often form during mating season or when there is prey nearby.

The campaign led by the Earth Island Institute's International Marine Mammal Project to save the dolphins in the ETP led to National Dolphin Day. While the campaign's initial efforts were successful, particularly with the creation of the Dolphin Safe label, dolphins still need support and are still worth celebrating, and that's what National Dolphin Day is about!

How to Observe National Dolphin Day

• Learn more about Dolphin Safe tuna and pledge to only eat tuna from companies that are Dolphin Safe.
• Check for National Dolphin Day events to attend. These sometimes include beach cleanups, dolphin watching, and art contests.
• Support the International Marine Mammal Project or another organization protecting dolphins such as Whale and Dolphin Conservation or Ocean Conservancy.
• Watch the video footage that Sam LaBudde took that galvanized the public into action.
• Watch a documentary about dolphins such as Where Have All the Dolphins Gone? or The Cove. Watch one of the Flipper or Free Willy films or TV shows.
• Read a book about dolphins.

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