PERTHNOW: MANDURAH CRUISES BACKS DOLPHIN RESEARCH WITH $50,000
PerthNow covers our commitment to the Mandurah Dolphin Research Project.
Published 19th September 2026
The funding supports Dr Krista Nicholson at Murdoch University and extends her fieldwork in the Peel-Harvey Estuary through to 2028.
Most of it goes toward one thing: early detection of live strandings, and faster response when one happens. Strandings and entanglements are the two biggest threats our dolphins face. The Peel-Harvey is a shallow system with numerous channels, and most dolphins here have stranded at least once. A stranded dolphin is under significant pressure on its internal organs, and at risk of sunburn if it stays exposed. Response time usually decides the outcome.
Entanglement is the other threat, most often from recreational fishing line. It restricts movement, causes severe injuries and can kill. Prevention works far better than intervention, which is why community awareness matters as much as the science.
Dr Nicholson’s assessments show a population operating at full reproductive capacity. Mothers are calving back to back, with a new calf once the previous one weans at around three years. To stay stable, the community can’t afford to lose more than one adult female a year.
Her work also confirmed these are estuarine specialists rather than coastal dolphins passing through. They depend on fish the Peel-Harvey supports, removing more than 200,000 kilograms of finfish from the system each year. As apex predators they keep fish populations in balance, which protects everything below them in the food web.
That makes them an indicator species. A shift in their numbers or feeding patterns signals a shift in the estuary itself.
Mandurah’s dolphins are monitored visually rather than electronically, so every sighting counts. The research underpins a shared naming system used by our crew, volunteer groups including Estuary Guardians, and researchers, so an observation from any one of us feeds the same database. It’s why our guides know these dolphins as individuals rather than as a group.
