A group of dolphins off the coast of Western Australia have found a way to outsmart fishermen by stealing bait using a genius trick. In never-filmed-before footage, the Koombana Bay dolphins are spotted tipping over and raiding crab bait boxes.
The dolphins’ intriguing behavior has been documented by researchers who set up underwater cameras. Dolphin Discovery Center, an environmental, community-based nonprofit, was alerted to this intriguing behavior in early 2022 by local wildlife conservationist and keen crab fisherman Rodney Peterson.
A representative for the charity told The Epoch Times that local fishermen had been aware of the dolphins’ antics for years and had attempted several different tactics to try and stop them from stealing their bait.
“Some perfected in deterring the dolphins while others were useless as the dolphins either outsmarted them or didn’t behave in the way expected by fishermen,” the center reported.
They even tried varying the bait, switching from fish to less appealing chicken, but to no avail. The chicken was then replaced with a spleen, however, this method was only partially helpful. When the bait was placed in the crab pot, sitting underneath the bait pot, or in a so-called bait box (a round plastic box), the dolphins were still able to overcome all these hurdles and reach it.
According to the center’s research, the dolphins were thwarted only when the bait was “locked” into a strong mesh, with a metal hook fitting it tightly to the crab pot.
“They learned fast that this bait was not available and not worth any effort, and they swam off,” the representative said, adding that it was important for them to find a solution to protect the dolphins from an unhealthy diet and the risk of entanglement in the fishing gear.
The media representative told the newspaper that dolphins are smart, observant, fast learners, inventors, and imitators.
“Their brain-to-body size ratio only gets beaten by humans, and in their natural environment they perfectly adapt to their surroundings, including humans fishing,” the representative said.
For this reason, only one method so far has proven safe. When the bait is placed inside a strong mesh, the animal scans the pot with echolocation and eyesight, learns that it cannot be opened, and swims off.
This makes for “healthier dolphins, happy crabbers, and proof that co-existence can work.”
Dolphin Discovery Center reports that there are between 100 to 200 dolphins living over a 15-mile radius in the Greater Banbury Region. Only some have figured out that humans can provide food, owing to their hunting of crabs and other marine species.
“Dolphins are opportunistic animals and if someone puts fish in front of them in a pot it can be too tempting to try,“ the representative said. “It is potentially an easy snack, also a bit of fun to overcome the challenge.”
From observations, the most bold and sophisticated hunters are females with calves as they have the added responsibility of feeding the calf too.
