Pacific white-sided dolphins are highly intelligent, social animals. When they orchestrate a hunt, they can decimate a shoal of fish in minutes. Once they are well fed and full of energy they like to celebrate by putting on an acrobatic display, but sometimes it is more than just that, it is a game. Pacific white-sided dolphins like to play games with bits of seaweed. Some games involve two teams each trying to pass the seaweed amongst their team whilst the others try to steal it. Another game could be who can grab the seaweed first as multiple dolphins swim as fast as they can to the surface of the ocean trying to catch it on their way, resulting in some spectacular aerial displays. It is hard to see what exactly is going on without being in the water with them but after three summers of observing this behaviour it was clear that strategic approaches were taken in order to win.

Despite witnessing this incredible display of agility and acrobatics I can’t help but wish the dolphins were not where they are. For the last few summers I have seen a pod of at least fifty plus individuals hanging around the mouth of the Kakweiken river in British Columbia. They have been feeding on the returning pink salmon and drastically reducing the numbers of salmon that make it to the river. Salmon are already under massive pressure from salmon farms, over fishing and rising sea temperatures due to climate change. Now this particular group of has to face a gauntlet of dolphins before they make it to the river, where they face hungry grizzly bears who too are suffering from the poor salmon numbers.