Is It Really Illegal to Talk to Dolphins? Kind Of...

Many people love dolphins, thanks to their extreme intelligence and beauty. In fact, dolphins are often revered in a lot of areas, especially tourist hotspots where locals sell visiting travelers an opportunity to swim with the creatures in their own native habitats.

But, according to some, to do so would be to break several laws, including a 1972 act that was put in place to protect the creatures.

This law prohibits people from having certain interactions with dolphins, which has left many people wondering why it is illegal to talk to dolphins.

Want to know more? Keep reading as we break down everything we know about the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Thanks to several popular social media posts, people are questioning whether rumors about a law preventing people from talking to dolphins are actually real. Many people have wondered why such a law would be put on the books, and how it would be enforced since "talking" is kind of hard to monitor.

But, according to Instagram posters like @stevewollett, it all boils down to the MMPA.

"That’s right — under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, humans can be fined up to $11,000 per violation and even face jail time for attempting to communicate with dolphins," his post began. "Apparently, the government thinks Flipper needs protection from friendly conversations!"

But, according to the Dolphin Research Center, things aren't quite so extreme with the law.

The law, which was established in 1972, made it a crime for U.S citizens to "harass, hunt, capture, collect or kill” marine wildlife. While the law doesn't appear to specifically cite "talking" as one of the banned activities, we guess you could argue that it could fall under the harassment umbrella.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it's not recommended for humans to swim with dolphins, no matter how much it may seem like the animals enjoy the experience. According to the organization, dolphins typically experience personality changes when interacting directly with humans, and those interactions produce unwanted behaviors.

Those changes can cause them to become more vulnerable to other dangers, like humans who would like to do them harm, and even their own natural predators like sharks.

Instead, NOAA says that dolphins are best enjoyed at a safe distance, where both they and the humans watching them can benefit from the experience.

So, while it may not exactly be illegal to talk to dolphins, it should be avoided whenever possible. This is especially true for dolphins in the wild, who may suffer as a result of those human interactions.

Just, don't expect the law to get updated to reflect that suggestion anytime soon.

While it's been on the books since 1972, it doesn't seem like there have been a whole lot of changes made to it since then, which means people are most likely going to have to police themselves when it comes to the water loving creatures.