DOLPHINS that use Cockburn Sound now have about 35 new protectors who joined the Swan River’s Dolphin Watch program last month.
Six of the river’s previously 24-strong dolphin family died mysteriously last year. On-going tests indicate long-term domestic pesticide pollution, a virus and rope entangling contributed to the deaths.
The publicity surrounding the deaths has brought interest in the watchers’ work, with many members of the public contacting the umbrella $250,000 River Guardians program run by the Swan River Trust.
“We’ve got a lot more people ringing up saying the deaths are really sad and they want to be involved,” River Guardians manager Marnie Giroud said.
“Their duties will be to be out on the river and be the program’s eyes. They can do as much, or little, as they like.”
Previous watchers found that the dolphins travelled farther upstream than thought.
The new volunteers join about 65 other watchers who donate their spare time observing and recording dolphin behaviour in the highest to lowest reaches of the Swan and Canning rivers, part of the 18-month-old program associated with Murdoch and Curtin universities.
“The reason I joined was I’m part of a University of WA kayaking group for over-50s and I want to make sure they are aware of the dolphins,” Dolphin Watch recruit Gillian Henderson told the Courier.
Mrs Henderson, a part-time physiotherapist who is already a River Guardian, paddles the river at least three times each week.
She became a watcher after her daughter went to a lecture by Murdoch University dolphin researcher and program principal scientist Hugh Finn who conducted initial river dolphin studies in 2002-03.
Mrs Henderson now records the number of dolphins, their behaviour and tides while she is kayaking, walking riverbanks or just looking from passing Fremantle trains.
Watchers must be River Guardians before having dolphin duties.