Overview
- On 15 November, multi-agency teams coordinated by the Port Authority deployed pingers, a hydrophone and percussive steel tubes to create a sonic barrier intended to guide the young dolphin, nicknamed Mimmo, out of the San Marco Basin.
- Mimmo entered the Canale dell’Orfano and was last seen near La Grazia heading toward the southern lagoon, according to officials who noted a subsequent lull in sightings.
- A separate account reported the animal returned to the San Marco Basin hours later, leaving the immediate result of the operation disputed.
- Researchers from the University of Padova’s CERT documented two impact-like wounds on the dolphin’s dorsal fin and warned that dense boat traffic and propellers in the basin pose an ongoing injury risk.
- Authorities will continue monitoring and are prepared to install fixed, AI-triggered sonic deterrents if the dolphin reappears in the high-traffic area.