• Williamstown, Altona, Laverton Star

By kate bonsack

27th January 2009 11:06:42 AM

Young scientist…The Dolphin Research Institute was in Altona on Friday surveying the dolphin population and educating the community about Port Phillip Bay's marine life. Pictured is three-year-old Keelan from Seabrook with one of the researchers.

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A MELBOURNE research centre is working to protect Port Phillip Bay’s unique bottle-nosed dolphins.

On Friday, researchers from the Dolphin Research Institute were in Altona surveying the local dolphin population after a three-week survey of the marine animal in other areas of the bay.

DRI executive director Jeff Weir said it was important to collect the data, as the Port Phillip dolphins were a new species.

“Because they are isolated within the bay, they have different genetics to other dolphins,” he said.

“It’s important for people to understand that, because they are an isolated population, if something happens to them then we won’t have this species of dolphin.”

With this in mind, the DRI has been conducting community engagement and education programs around the bay through its “I sea, I care” project.

“We have to look after our environment, and it is us living around the bay that impacts on the marine life in Port Phillip Bay,” Mr Weir said.

“We completed a recent coastal values survey, which showed that only 11 per cent of Victorians thought that creeks and rivers were a threat to the marine environment.

“That’s concerning, because a lot of rubbish and contaminants are being flushed into the bay from stormwater drains. “We want Victorians to understand that the biggest threat to the bays is from the impact of nearly four million of us living in the bay’s catchment.”

Mr Weir said there were 2500 species of animals in the bay, which needed to be protected. “They’re unique as koalas and echidnas,” he said.

“In 90 per cent of most cases you wouldn’t find these species anywhere else.”

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