RESEARCHERS have identified two bottlenose dolphins named Sherlock and Muppet, who have been living in the Gold Coast Broadwater for nearly 20 years.

The females have survived threats from boat traffic and increased development. They have even developed their own fishing strategy which involves chasing fish into vessel hulls to stun them.

Marine scientist Dr Olaf Meynecke, of Griffith University, said the latest findings were very exciting news and for the first time, historic sighting data had been compared with recent sightings.

“We now have evidence that two dolphins have been living in our Broadwater for nearly two decades and it’s unusual that they are coping with threats from their environment,” he said.

media_camera A Gold Coast resident bottlenose dolphin swims near a jetskier.

“In 1997, Sherlock was identified with a calf, so we know she was at least five to 10-years-old then. This means she was at least 23-years-old when she was photographed very recently.”

Dr Meynecke said Muppet was recorded as an adult in 1997 and a dorsal match in May last year suggested the animal was now more than 19-years-old.

He said the fact that the two dolphins had survived so long in local waters was significant.

“Dolphins in the Broadwater face many threats from living in such proximity to humans and many have severe cuts and scars on their fins and bodies from boats, nets or fishing line.

“They also have to cope with chemical and noise pollution, as well as the dieback and destruction of the seagrass beds where they hunt.”

Dr Meynecke said dolphins needed these critical feeding and refuge areas to survive in the Broadwater.

media_camera Researchers have identified two ‘local’ bottlenose dolphins have called the Broadwater home for 20 years.

“One of our research tasks is to identify these areas and secure them. We’ve started to receive anecdotal reports that suggest certain hot spots for our resident dolphins but we need more evidence,” he said.

“Anecdotal reports have confirmed they find food and refuge at Runaway Bay, Tipplers, Wavebreak Island and in the Seaway.

media_camera A bottlenose dolphin leaps out of the water at The Sovereign Islands.

“In fact, audio recordings from a hydrophone, which was in the Seaway for 55 hours, revealed at least 23 cases of dolphin vocalisation. This suggests the Seaway is commonly used by dolphins and more investigation is being carried out,” Dr Meynecke said.

“Interestingly, our local dolphins seem to have come up with an amazing strategy to feed. They have learnt to chase fish towards boats in the Broadwater so that the fish crash into their hulls and become easy prey.”

The Griffith University dolphin research project has been supported by local community groups Humpbacks and High-Rises, and the Pacific Marinelife Institute (PMI).

media_camera A bottlenose dolphin at The Sovereign Islands.

Dr Meynecke said marine biology student Katie Walters had compared community sighting data collected in 1997 and 1998 by PMI, which was then known as the CFA Fishery Research, with sightings recorded in 2015.

In the ’90s, about 363 sightings of dolphins were recorded in the Broadwater and just outside the Seaway. They were entered into a database and mapped in Ms Walters’ project.

A dorsal fin identification card for Gold Coast Broadwater resident dolphins, developed by Dr Liz Hawkins from Dolphin Research Australia, revealed two dolphins in the Broadwater identified in 1997 and 1998 were still alive in recent years.

Dr Meynecke said the findings highlighted the importance of community involvement in monitoring local dolphins.

Sea World rescue team release Sandy the Dolphin After seven weeks of rehab, the Sea World team release a young offshore bottlenose dolphin at Cape Moreton.

“Often, this is the only source of information for us and unfortunately, there is no funding to support our type of work,” he said. “The PMI monitoring showed that people cared about the fate of our local dolphins in the nineties and we would like to bring this back on the agenda.”

To view the Gold Coast dolphins using their unusual feeding strategy, CLICK HERE