Swimming in the water of Hawaii's Big Island is a fun experience. But it can be more exciting if there are dolphins swimming around and jumping out of the sea too. For many people, it would be a wonderful dream to swim with these lovely animals! However, this may not be good for dolphins. They may get hurt because of human interaction (互动).
Dolphins are active and usually look for food at night. In the day, they like to rest in shallow bays (浅湾). Many people think the dolphins are awake during the day as they swim. But when they sleep they rest half of their brain and keep the other half awake to breathe, so they may be sleeping even when they're swimming in the water.
From 2010 to 2013, spinner dolphins (飞旋海豚) of Hawaii's Big Island were exposed to human activities more than 82 percent of the time, according to Julian Tyne, a researcher at Australia's Murdoch University.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says disturbing the animals in their near-shore habitat could force them to swim to less favourable places, putting them at risk of being attacked by sharks and other animals.
Besides, when people are around, dolphins become more active. Thus, they can't get enough sleep. "Disturbing their resting behaviours can actually affect their long-term health and the health of the dolphin population," Ann Garrett of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service told the Associated Press.
As a result, the NOAA wants to make rules to help protect the dolphins. For example, the agency (机构) may ban swimming with the Hawaii spinner dolphins. Or they may stop people from swimming in shallow bays when the dolphins are resting. Tour operators must also be taught to watch for signs to know when the dolphins are in their resting state.
