Visitors to the marina will soon have a way of identifying the dolphins seen in the Gladstone harbour as a result of the research being carried out by English intern student, Laura Bacon.

Laura is a Bachelor of Science student at Salford University in Manchester, England, and is completing a practical component of her degree with staff at CQU’s Centre for Environmental Management.

The practical placement is a chance for students to specialise in their area of interest and Laura said her passion is marine studies, which is what led her to Gladstone and the dolphin identification project.

“For the next couple of months I will be completing a behavioural study on the dolphins that regularly visit the harbour mouth.

“I’m trying to discover why the dolphins come in and when, to work out if it’s tidal, boat activity or something else. I am also trying to find identifying features for each of the dolphins so that eventually, the public will be able to distinguish between them all.

So far Laura has identified about seven dolphins that regularly visit the mouth of the harbour and is now working on determining their patterns of behaviour.

The CQPA Port of Gladstone has recently agreed to sponsor the development of three information boards that will be placed around the harbour to help Gladstone residents identify their marine visitors.

The boards will include photos of each dolphin and their identifying features and will hopefully encourage local residents to participate in the local Portwatch program which asks residents to report any sightings of other marine life such as dugongs and turtles.