There are fears for Mandurah's beloved dolphins, a critical part of the Peel's economy and ecosystem, due to a lack of resources.
According to tourism operator Mandurah Cruises, volunteer dolphin rescuers and other environmental groups, Mandurah is in urgent need of locally-based wildlife officers.
"Mandurah is unique and is a known dolphin stranding hotspot," Natalie Goddard of Estuary Guardians Mandurah said. "With 136km of inland waterways with an average depth of one-metre or less, well over one-third of our dolphins are known to have already stranded, needing rescue. Some have stranded many times over, with a significant number dying directly from the stranding. They suffer."
Mandurah Cruises operator Myrianthe Riddy said she holds grave concerns for the well-being of dolphins in the Peel and the economic repercussions of so many deaths.
"Our waterways and our dolphins are inextricably linked to our economy," she said. "Firstly, because they bring tourists and a big part of our economy depends on tourists. Secondly, because it means people want to live here and when people live here, they spend in the local economy."
According to Ms Riddy, Mandurah had well over three million day trippers a year, pre-COVID.
"Prior to COVID-19 about 100,000 people a year would come to Mandurah just to go on some form of dolphin tour...many of those are high spending overseas visitors who would spend several thousand dollars on average during their stays in WA. Without a healthy population [of dolphins] we lose that value proposition and some of that ability to attract visitors," she said.
The two biggest threats to dolphins are fishing line entanglements and strandings, which both need fast responses. Because only trained wildlife officers are legally allowed to touch or move wild animals and these officers are based in Perth, this creates long delays.
According to Ms Goddard, there are only a handful of DBCA officers based in Perth who have to deal with wildlife all the way from Two Rocks to Bunbury, so it depended on their workload and weather conditions as to how quickly they could attend. For a dolphin such as River, one of Mandurah's dolphins entangled with fishing line, it's been six months and officers still haven't been able to help him.
"They're constantly under the pump and we appreciate the work they do," Ms Goddard said understandingly.
"We have been lobbying the state government for the last couple of years, especially following the death of Luka. It highlighted how things could have been done better if there'd been vessels and equipment here in Mandurah, but we've been hitting a bit of a wall."
Peel Preservation Group (PPG) have added their voice to the push for a dedicated wildlife officer in the region.
"With Mandurah...being such a rapidly growing city in regards to development, the ecosystems are being stressed to a great degree," PPG'secretary Deb Hay said. "...PPG is very much in favour of the appointment of a dedicated wildlife officer, to be fully equipped, and stationed somewhere between Mandurah and Pinjarra."
When asked for comment a DBCA spokesperson said, "In recent years, the number of staff at DBCA's Mandurah office has grown, with around 14 staff delivering services including conservation, reserve management, fire management and visitor services. This local team is supported by a broader team within DBCA's Swan Coastal District and Swan Region."
