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A population of bottlenose dolphins inhabits 7 of the 14 fjords that compose Fiordland,New Zealand. One of these fjords, Milford Sound, supports a large tourism industry that results inintense boat traffic. Bottlenose dolphins regularly visited Milford Sound and tour boats interactedwith them during these visits. I studied the factors affecting the frequency of visits to Milford Soundby relating the residency pattern of dolphins in this fjord to oceanographic parameters and variationsin boat traffic between December 1999 and February 2002. Boat traffic was the only variable thatcould explain the frequency of dolphin visits to Milford Sound. Dolphins spent less time in MilfordSound during seasons of intense boat traffic. Moreover, when dolphins visited this fjord, they spentmore time at the entrance of the fjord when boat traffic was intense, out of the reach of tour boats. Itseems that dolphins avoid Milford Sound when traffic is heavy. This avoidance could have long-termimplications for the demography of the population.