Dolphins Fishing

An adult dolphin eats approximately 8-15Kg of fish per day. Dolphins do not usually chew their fish they swallow the fish whole, head first. Like all mammals dolphins need fresh water to survive. They do not drink water like we do but obtain water from the fish they catch.

Dolphins use echolocation to locate their food. Echolocation is when a dolphin releases a sequence of clicks or whistles and then analyses the returning echo to determine the size, shape, distance, direction, speed and even the density of an object.

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The Port River Dolphins use many different techniques to catch their fish including surface fishing, bottom feeding, Kick fishing (using their tails to stun the fish) and fish throwing. Dolphins often work together when fishing and some of the dolphins will circle a school of fish while the others race in to grab the fish.

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Birds will also often feed with the dolphins. Particularly when they are surface fishing and the fish are jumping out of the water trying to escape from the dolphin (See Birds and Dolphins).

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We often see the dolphins racing along the sides of moored boats, the marinas, wharves and the rocks.  Sometimes they are racing back and forth chasing after a fish, other times they are using the movement of the water to locate and flush out garfish and other small fish that may be hiding. One dolphin named Unhap often waits near a submerged fence and as the Brim swim past he races towards them herding them against the fence.

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Dolphins will often play with their food, I have regularly observed our port river dolphins throwing the fish and jelly fish they have caught into the air and then chasing after them.