Dolphin Days: The Life and Times of the Spinner Dolphin

Norris, emeritus professor at UC-Santa Cruz, has studied spinner dolphins ( Stenella longisostris ) for 30 years and played a vital role in the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. In this fine portrait of scientific field work Norris relates details of the spinners' cycle of behavior against the story of dolphin slaughter by tuna fisheries and efforts to save the threatened species. The author and students observed the animals from air, land and sea, discovering, for example, that dolphins make intense claps of sound to catch prey, that they mimic schools of fish for protection. While the dolphin kill dropped tenfold under MMPA regulations, the majority of U.S. ships moved to foreign registration. After sailing on a large tuna boat, Norris noted that speedboats, nets and the mother vessel create overwhelming fear among the dolphins and disrupt their social organization. He takes a cynical view of the ""dolphin-safe"" tuna industry. Photos. (Oct.)