According to a new report, large numbers of bottlenose dolphins are relying on fishing trawlers for food off Italy’s eastern coast, suggesting they may be struggling to find enough prey in waters depleted by overfishing. The bottlenose dolphin population inhabiting the waters off the regions of Veneto and Marche is estimated to exceed 1,000 individuals.
Researchers monitored fishing trawlers operating in the Adriatic Sea off Marche and Veneto, conducting 859 surveys over 148 days between 2018 and 2024 in Veneto and in 2025 in Marche. They also analysed dolphin species and behaviour using photographic evidence, estimating that 86–90% of the local bottlenose dolphins regularly follow fishing vessels. By comparison, studies conducted in the 1990s found that only around 10% of bottlenose dolphins followed trawlers. The dramatic increase suggests the animals may be finding it increasingly difficult to hunt naturally as fish stocks decline.
The study, published in Frontiers in Mammal Science, is available here
