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BOOK 90 F,mcF 795 <br />Chairman Bird commented that his daughter loves dolphins from <br />seeing Flipper on television and seeing live dolphins at Sea World. <br />He was opposed to releasing all the dolphins because people would <br />no longer be able to enjoy seeing them. He did not believe that <br />dolphins were an endangered species. <br />Mr. Roberts spoke at length about the dangers of depleting the <br />wild dolphin population. He agreed that there was a time when <br />dolphins at marine parks heightened the public's awareness, but <br />dolphins in captivity have a short lifespan and there are many <br />places like Sea World, so they are being over -captured. About 3/4 <br />of the captured dolphins are young females of breeding age, which <br />limits the population of future generations because they do not <br />breed well in captivity. The Indian River Lagoon, which only has <br />about 200 dolphins at the present time, is one of the few lagoons <br />in the nation with dolphins in it. Small populations cause <br />inbreeding which can result in genetic mutations. There is also a <br />danger of the dolphins becoming extinct. He emphasized that <br />dolphins in the ocean are an excellent tourist attraction because <br />they can be seen from the beach, and excellent films of dolphins <br />are shown on television. <br />There was discussion about dolphin statistics and the <br />boundaries of the Indian River Lagoon system. <br />Commissioner Macht was in favor of limiting the capture of <br />wild dolphins to responsible organizations, such as the U.S. Navy, <br />which has done some important scientific studies. <br />Mr. Roberts responded that the Navy dolphin program has been <br />controversial and is being phased out. The Navy dolphins are being <br />donated to amusement parks and the Navy is relinquishing its <br />authority to capture dolphins. The Dolphin Alliance is negotiating <br />the return of the Indian River Lagoon dolphins that are currently <br />in the possession of the Navy. Mr. Roberts emphasized that the <br />term "scientific research" can be stretched to meet the needs of <br />commercial enterprises. <br />Further discussion ensued, and Attorney Vitunac confirmed that <br />there are no local ordinances against capturing dolphins. <br />Commissioner Tippin was in favor of prohibiting the capture of <br />dolphins in the future, but he did not agree with requiring <br />dolphins that are currently in captivity to be returned to the <br />wild. <br />Commissioner Adams led discussion on adopting the resolution <br />with a few modifications. <br />20 <br />