Adriatic dolphins learn to hunt with trawlers as overfishing reshapes marine behaviour

Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic are increasingly following trawlers to scavenge for food, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parents, according to a study cited by the Guardian on July 3rd. In one monitored area, researchers found that 76 percent of fishing boats were followed by dolphins, suggesting the behaviour has become widespread. Giovanni Bearzi, a co-author of the research, told the Guardian that "these days the easiest way to find bottlenose dolphins is to look for trawlers." The pattern represents a significant shift in how the region's dolphin population survives and reproduces.

The behaviour reflects the depletion of wild fish stocks in the Adriatic, one of Europe's most heavily exploited fishing grounds. Commercial trawling has reduced prey availability for marine predators, forcing dolphins to adapt by scavenging from nets and discards rather than hunting independently. The fact that calves are learning this behaviour from mothers suggests the practice is becoming institutionalised across generations, potentially locking dolphins into dependence on fishing activity even if stocks were to recover.