I know a lot of your river fishers see dolphins on a regular basis. I know of one that regularly visits my bream spot near Caversham.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher joined River Guardian volunteers on the Swan River today to launch the first river-based community monitoring Dolphin Watch Project.

A community of about 25 ‘resident’ bottlenose dolphins, many of which have probably grown up in the rivers, use the Swan and Canning rivers on a near-daily basis.

Mrs Faragher said people could take part in the Dolphin Watch Project by becoming a River Guardian member.

“This project will gather information for Murdoch and Curtin university researchers who have been studying the population since 2001, and believe the dolphins’ local river knowledge is important for their survival,” the Minister said.

“The Swan River Trust has provided $17,000 through its research and innovation program to investigate the dolphins as indicators of river health.

“Perth is the only major city in Australia where dolphins are regularly spotted so far upstream - from Fremantle Port to the CBD - and this is a truly unique experience which we want to preserve.

“The group of river dolphins comprise several adult females with dependant calves, one or two ‘alliances’ of tightly-bonded adult males, and a large group of sociable youngsters.

“However, the river dolphin community is small and experiences pressure from loss of habitat, decreasing prey, entanglement, boat strikes and noise.

“The Dolphin Watch Project volunteers will be recording and reporting their observations of these dolphins throughout the year.

“The information they gather will form a comprehensive study and improve our understanding of dolphin status in the Riverpark and the effects of human activities on these mammals.

“We can all help protect dolphins while out on the water by keeping our distance, never feeding them, fishing responsibly and watching out for resting pods.

“The Swan River Trust’s River Guardians program was launched in June last year and aims to connect people with the Swan and Canning rivers.

“The program is currently free to join and has 470 public members to date, who take part in river-based events, science and cultural training activities, volunteer projects like Dolphin Watch, and receive practical information about other ways they can help keep the rivers healthy.”

For more information about River Guardians, log on to http://www.riverguardians.com, or contact the Swan River Trust on 9278 0900.