In 2018 Action for Dolphins and World Animal Protection began working with Dolphin Marine Conservation Park (now known as Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary) on a feasibility study into the establishment of a sea sanctuary for the dolphins at the Park.
The early work completed as part of the study showed a dolphin sanctuary was feasible in the Coffs Harbour basin.
In 2021, a Parliamentary Inquiry recommended the NSW Government provide support to our project to help complete the feasibility study – but the previous government made no substantive effort to action this recommendation.
The current NSW government offered to provide technical advice but no funding was committed to progress the feasibility study.
Due to this, and recent construction work in the Coffs Harbour basin, our organisations have mutually agreed to no longer work on this project.
Thank you to everyone who supported this project.
Action for Dolphins and World Animal Protection will continue to campaign against the keeping of dolphins in captivity for entertainment in Australia and globally.