Overview
- A peer-reviewed paper published today in Frontiers in Ethology details months of monitoring of the solitary bottlenose dolphin nicknamed Mimmo and outlines management guidance.
- Weekly observations since June 2025 tracked Mimmo’s movement from the southern lagoon into the San Marco Basin near St. Mark’s Square, where the animal remains present.
- The dolphin appears healthy and regularly feeds on mullet, with behavior described as typical for the species.
- Initial efforts to push the animal back to open water using acoustic deterrents failed, and the team warns that capture or relocation would pose greater risks than benefits.
- Authors recommend enforcing speed limits and banning close approaches, touching, or feeding under existing protections, noting boat traffic is the immediate hazard in Venice even as fisheries threaten dolphins offshore.