BadtoFeed is a cooperation effort between the Bay County dolphin tour industry, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, the Tourist Development Council (TDC), Gulf World Marine Park, the marine mammal science community, local media, the hospitality industry and the community of Bay County.
The Program’s goals are:
To establish a lasting cooperative relationship between the stakeholders within the Tour Industry, the State and Federal Agencies regulating the interaction with wildlife, the marine mammal science community, the local media, the County’s Tourism Development Council and the Gulf Coast’s hospitality industry for the promotion of a responsible interaction with one of Bay County’s most coveted natural resources: the local population of wild bottlenose dolphins.
To show and explain the long term value and the benefits of concerted educative tour management strategies geared towards a sustainable marine tourism.
This web site is a resource for the general user but it is particularily built to allow tour operators and their staff to gain reliable information and valuable education and benefits by attending the online BadToFeed presentation and by taking the 3 multiple-choice quizzes. Successful completion of the 3 quizzes will allow captains and guides to become members of the Bay Association of Dolphin Tour Operators For Environmental Education Distinction.
The strongest drive for this program is that it is designed, implemented and controlled by the industry (the participating tour operators), giving them a sense of pride, independence and ownership that no other program could achieve.
In less than 6 months after its release, the BadToFeed program together with the stepped-up enforcement efforts by FWC have substantially decreased the level of wild dolphin harassment in Panama City Beach. In the long run, this will help to stabilize the wild dolphins natural group composition and distribution. It already has and will keep minimizing the risk of injuries to both humans and dolphins. This program offers tour operators a unique opportunity to enhance the quality of their services to include a conservation and protection outlook. This added value will give them an edge on other tour companies and in the long run give them a chance to become the leaders in this industry. This program will also improve the negative image Panama City has acquired through the years concerning wild dolphin harassment.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Get familiar with the Course Content before viewing the Course
- Watch the 3 Modules of the BTF Training Course
- Complete the 3 Quizzes in order
- Get familiar with all the web pages, videos, articles and documents featured on the Modules’s resource page 1, page 2 and page 3
- Print your Proof of Completion
- Bring a copy of your Proof of Completion to your employer to receive your sticker