A lot of dolphins die in fisheries. In the North Sea alone, an estimated 10,000 harbour porpoises are killed in fishing gear each year.  In recent years there have been gear modifications  that make it possible for the dolphins, to escape once a fishingnet is closed. Not every country has made these modifications mandatory yet, so dolphins are still killed in this fishery. The dolphins killed in fishery are mainly common dolphins, spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins. Occasionally other species, including bottlenose dolphins, are caught as well, but their numbers are lower.

Especially in coastal areas, marine mammals are often disturbed by human activities. Collisions with boats and jet skis have already resulted in severe traumas and even deaths of marine mammals, including dolphins. Also, boat traffic in areas where dolphins usually rest or forage can disrupt their normal behaviour. The seemingly harmless human behaviour, such as swimming in areas where dolphins naturally rest, can result in disturbance and changes in behaviour. In a bay in Hawaii for example, where spinner dolphins came to rest, the increase in swimmers, has resulted in the dolphins leaving the bay. They had to find another resting area.

Dolphins are very acoustically oriented animals. With their natural sonar, they rely heavily on sound for their orientation, navigation and communication with other dolphins. Since the last century, the increase in boat traffic around the globe has resulted in a considerable increase in noise in the world's oceans. This has a negative effect on dolphin and whale navigation and communication. 

Efforts are needed to enrich the lives of killer whales in captivity - Keeping Killer whales in zoos and aquariums has become highly controversial. In a new article, experts outline several novel ideas for improving the lives of Killer whales in zoological institutions by enhancing the communication, feeding, environment, and health of the animals in order to elicit natural behaviors seen in the wild.
Humpback habitats off Madagascar revealed as energy exploration ramps up - How humpback whales use marine habitats off the eastern coast of Africa is only partially understood, and that has become a conservation concern as offshore energy exploration expands in the region. However, a new study found that humpback whales that were satellite tagged off the coast of Madagascar during peak breeding season are traveling much further in the southwest Indian Ocean than previously thought.
New tag revolutionizes whale research, and makes them partners in science - A sophisticated new type of 'tag' on whales that can record data every second for hours, days and weeks at a time provides a view of whale behavior, biology and travels never before possible, scientists reported today in a new study. The data are also making whales partners in the study of climate change.
False killer whale’s encounter with longline - A team of researchers and fishermen used video and audio recordings to observe false killer whales removing fish from a longline fishing hook, a behavior known as depredation.
Scientists studying dolphins find Bay of Bengal a realm of evolutionary change - Marine scientists have discovered that two species of dolphin in the waters off Bangladesh are genetically distinct from those in other regions of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, a finding that supports a growing body of evidence that the Bay of Bengal harbors conditions that drive the evolution of new life forms, according to a new study.