Plantation High School’s Journalism class joins the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and state and federal partners to kick-off their efforts to reach out to youth throughout Florida with their developing campaign to raise the profile of threats to dolphins, manatees and the marine environment in Florida.  This initiative is being launched in conjunction with the United Nations’ Environment Program (UNEP) and Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to support the ‘Year of the Dolphin’. Pier2Pier is aimed at outreach and fundraising to support marine mammal conservation initiatives in Florida and elsewhere.

The UNEP supported Year of the Dolphin (YOD) in 2008 launched by CMS is a joint initiative between CMS, its dedicated regional agreements on dolphin conservation as well as WDCS and the TUI AG. YOD raises awareness of dolphin species and informs decision makers. (see  www.yod2008.org)

Across the globe, dolphins, whales and manatees face a myriad of threats; including death in fishing nets, prey depletion due to over fishing, pollution, harmful noise disturbance, collision with vessels, habitat loss and deliberate hunting. One of the major issues facing dolphins in the wild, and especially in Florida, is harassment by commercial and recreational vessels and interactions with fisheries.
The Pier2Pier initiative hopes to instigate local action to educate students and promote protection by addressing major threats to these marine mammals and their environment. Ms. Aquino and her students will be working with state, federal and international agencies, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and National Marine Fisheries services. Dolphins and manatees are protected by both state and federal law.

Pier2Pier (see www.pier2pier.net) will initially raise funds to assist stranding networks in Florida, purchase recycling bins where fishing lines can be discarded to reduce marine debris and entanglement of dolphins, and assist in the construction of a school in Haiti and the development of a marine sciences program there.

Courtney Vail, US Campaigns Officer for WDCS stated: “The message that the protection of dolphins and manatees is important to today’s youth underscores the enthusiasm shown by this committed group.  We are hopeful that the initiatives undertaken by Pier2Pier will have a real impact on spreading a conservation ethic to an important demographic in Florida, and serve as an inspiration elsewhere.”

Click here to read the press release.