What does this research mean for the field?

Behavioural coordination between human fishers and dolphins is the primary driver of foraging success, buffering predators against environmental variability and prey unpredictability independently of shared environmental responses. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Determine whether fishing success during human-dolphin cooperative foraging stems from shared environmental drivers of prey availability or from behavioral coordination buffering prey unpredictability.

August 30, 2026Behavioral EcologyOpen Access

Synchronous human-dolphin foraging increases fishing success despite prey unpredictability

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Authors

AMAlexandre M. S. Machado FDFábio G. Daura‐Jorge DFDamien R. Farine

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Observational study reveals that behavioral synchrony with dolphins drives fishing success in artisanal fishers, suggesting social coordination buffers predators against unpredictable prey.

Key Points

Determine whether fishing success during human-dolphin cooperative foraging stems from shared environmental drivers of prey availability or from behavioral coordination buffering prey unpredictability.
Monitored social foraging interactions between wild dolphins and artisanal human fishers targeting migratory mullet schools.
Used confirmatory path analysis to model relationships among local environmental conditions (wind and tide), mullet abundance, predator numbers, and behavioral synchrony on fisher catch.
Mullet abundance and fisher catch increased under northerly winds, but environmental conditions did not predict dolphin-fisher foraging synchrony.
Flood tides increased dolphin abundance, triggering higher fisher attendance and greater behavioral synchrony, which served as the primary driver of increased mullet catch.

Cite This Study

Machado et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93efe56c1a8fb52e79bed8 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arag106

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August 30, 2026Behavioral EcologyOpen Access

Synchronous human-dolphin foraging increases fishing success despite prey unpredictability

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

AMAlexandre M. S. Machado FDFábio G. Daura‐Jorge DFDamien R. Farine

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Observational study reveals that behavioral synchrony with dolphins drives fishing success in artisanal fishers, suggesting social coordination buffers predators against unpredictable prey.

Key Points

Determine whether fishing success during human-dolphin cooperative foraging stems from shared environmental drivers of prey availability or from behavioral coordination buffering prey unpredictability.
Monitored social foraging interactions between wild dolphins and artisanal human fishers targeting migratory mullet schools.
Used confirmatory path analysis to model relationships among local environmental conditions (wind and tide), mullet abundance, predator numbers, and behavioral synchrony on fisher catch.
Mullet abundance and fisher catch increased under northerly winds, but environmental conditions did not predict dolphin-fisher foraging synchrony.
Flood tides increased dolphin abundance, triggering higher fisher attendance and greater behavioral synchrony, which served as the primary driver of increased mullet catch.

Cite This Study

Machado et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93efe56c1a8fb52e79bed8 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arag106

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark