sarasota dolphin research program...

SARASOTA DOLPHIN RESEARCH PROGRAM

NICKS‘N’NOTCHES

Visit our web site at: www.sarasotadolphin.orgJanuary 2008

Annual Summary of the Collaborative Dolphin Research and Conservation Efforts of theChicago Zoological Society and Mote Marine Laboratory

Dear Friends and Colleagues of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program,

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) hascompleted another successful year as the “world’s longest-runningwild dolphin research program.” Our research is in its 38th yearsince we asked the simple question: “Do the same bottlenosedolphins live in Sarasota Bay year-round?” In 1970 I was a highschool student, assisting Blair Irvine on dolphin and shark researchat Mote Marine Laboratory, including a dolphin tagging project. Itwas my first “real job,” even though I was a volunteer.

We’ve come a long way since then. The answer to ouroriginal question from the tagging research — the firstdocumentation of long-term, multi-generational residency bydolphins — set the stage for all that we have done over the decadessince. Initial basic biological research has been expanded toinvestigate increasingly refined questions, and we have added astrong commitment to conservation action, education and training.Over the past 37 years, we have created a unique situation forlearning about the needs of coastal dolphins in the wild, throughunderstanding them as individuals and following them throughouttheir lives. As we learn what it takes for coastal dolphins to be ableto survive and thrive, we improve our ability to evaluate howexpanding human activities in coastal ecosystems may impact theirlives, and what approaches may be most effective for keeping themand their populations healthy, while at the same time allowinghumans to use and enjoy coastal waters.

In this newsletter you will find numerous accounts bystaff, students, and colleagues about progress on their individualresearch, education, or conservation action projects during 2007.One of the strengths of our program is that it provides opportunitiesto integrate across a number of individual projects, to understand

the complexities of the lives of animals with long life-spans. Forexample, through many disparate research and conservationprojects we are beginning to develop a unique and importantappreciation of the potential pervasive role of red tide (harmfulalgal blooms, or HABs) in the lives of the Sarasota dolphins.

SDRP and MoteMarine Laboratory researchefforts examining red tidetoxin levels in dolphinsdemonstrated that localdolphins did not die directlyfrom the toxin during the2005 severe red tide.However, dramatic andunsustainable increases indolphin deaths from attempts at stealing bait and catch fromrecreational anglers coincided with 1) a precipitous decline indolphin prey fish in Sarasota Bay (determined from long-termdolphin stomach content analyses and ongoing purse-seiningoperations), 2) significant declines in dolphin body condition(determined through health assessments), and 3) unprecedentedchanges in group size and where the dolphins spent their timeduring the red tide (documented by surveys and behavioralobservations). Although dolphin deaths from fishing gear havedeclined as fish stocks recover in the absence of red tide,supporting our hypothesis about the role of red tide as a driver ofthis issue at least in the Sarasota area, a new study indicates thatsome dolphins continue to show interest in bait and catch. Thisinterest appears likely to have been reinforced by angler behavior,such as feeding and releasing catch near dolphins. SDRP isengaged in activities to educate anglers about how to deal withdolphins nearby, how to reduce the amount of discarded fishinggear in the water, and about the problems associated with feedingwild dolphins.

Harmful Algal Blooms, such as red tides, were identifiedin a December 2007 plenary talk at the Society for MarineMammalogy’s Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals byVice Admiral Lautenbacher, head of the National Oceanographicand Atmospheric Administration (responsible for protecting mostof the nation’s marine mammals), as one of the six greatest threatsto marine mammals. Only three presentations of more than 800given at this biennial international conference dealt with HABs,and all three were by the SDRP. This is just one example of howthe long-term, integrated efforts of SDRP researchers areaddressing emerging and pressing conservation issues.

2 January 2008

The following pages summarize the efforts of ourresearch team during 2007 in a variety of topic areas. Our 12full- or part-time staff and 14 graduate students, working withcolleagues from around the world, have been involved inpublishing 7 peer-reviewed scientific articles, with another 20in press, in revision, or submitted and in review. We havemade, or been co-authors on, more than 25 scientificpresentations and 14 university or public lectures. In additionto the research efforts, we have grown our international trainingprogram, with colleagues and students joining us from aroundthe world to learn our approaches and techniques forapplication to their own dolphin conservation issues at home.We have been able to accomplish this research, conservation,and education work through the assistance of a number oforganizations, including NOAA’s Fisheries Service (NMFS),the Batchelor Foundation, Dolphin Quest, Disney, EarthwatchInstitute and donations from generous contributors.

We expect another busy year in 2008, continuingmany of our ongoing research efforts. In addition, withcolleagues, we have submitted proposals to federal programsfor new research on the effects of red tide and for usingphotographic identification surveys with documentation ofdolphin skin lesions as an early warning system for emerginghealth issues in coastal dolphin populations. It will be a yearof new challenges, as the federal support that has sustained

OUR APPROACH TOWARD HELPING DOLPHINS

Randall Wells, PhD

our program since 2001 comes to an end. We will need togreatly increase private support of our program, in addition toseeking competitive grants, in order to be able to sustain ourcurrent highly-productive level of activity. By 2010, when weexpect to produce a book summarizing our first 40 years, myhope is that we will have reached a level of self-sufficiency interms of supporting the ongoing efforts of the SarasotaDolphin Research Program. With your continued help andsupport, I am sure that we can achieve this important goal.

For now, my sincere thanks for helping to get us tothis point. Please let me know if your travels bring you nearSarasota, so you can visit our lab and perhaps even thedolphins.

Our desire with each research or conservation projectin Florida or elsewhere is to contribute to a betterunderstanding of the structure and dynamics of populationsof small cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises), as wellas the natural and anthropogenic factors (factors of humanorigin) that impact them. We use an interdisciplinary andcollaborative approach in conducting studies of bottlenosedolphins within a unique long-term natural laboratory. Theprimary goals of our program include:

(1) collecting biological, behavioral, ecological,and health data of importance to the conservationof small cetaceans, especially bottlenose dolphins,

(2) providing requisite information for bottlenosedolphin conservation to wildlife managementagencies,

(3) disseminating the information generated by ourprogram to scientific and general audiences in orderto aid dolphin conservation efforts,

(4) using our model program to develop and refinehypotheses regarding bottlenose dolphins in otherparts of the species’ range as well as other species ofsmall cetaceans,

(5) using the established naturallaboratory to develop and testnew research tools andmethodologies of potentialbenefit to conservationefforts,

(6) training cetacean conservationworkers and students fromaround the world in the use ofthese techniques,

(7) applying our unique program expertise to dolphinrescue operations and post-release follow-upmonitoring, and

(8) applying the information we gather from free-rangingdolphins to improve the quality of care for dolphinsin zoological park settings.

The work toward achieving these goals is conductedunder the umbrella of the “Sarasota Dolphin ResearchProgram” (SDRP). This name links the efforts of severalorganizations that work together to ensure the continuity ofthe long-term dolphin research in Sarasota Bay. TheConservation, Education, and Training Group of the ChicagoZoological Society (CZS) has provided core staff salaries andadministrative and operational support for the program since1989. Dolphin Biology Research Institute, a Sarasota-based501{c}3 non-profit corporation established in 1982, provideslogistical support with its fleet of six small research vessels,two towing vehicles, computers, cameras, field equipment, etc.Since 1992, Mote Marine Laboratory has provided aconvenient base on City Island in Sarasota Bay, with office,

storage, and dock space, and easy access to goodboat launching ramps. The SDRP maintainsacademic connections including graduate studentsponsorships primarily through the University ofCalifornia at Santa Cruz, the University of NorthCarolina at Wilmington, and the University ofSouth Florida. All bottlenose dolphin researchreported in this newsletter was performed underthe authority of NMFS Scientific Research PermitNo. 522-1785.

January 2008 3

IN THIS ISSUEHuman Interactions and Impacts♦ Depredation and fishing interactions involving bottlenose dolphins By Jessica Powell............................................................Page 4

♦ Assessing angler knowledge and experience with fishing line debris and wildlife interactions at theSunshine Skyway Fishing Pier By Robin Perrtree and Kim Bassos-Hull............................................................................Page 5

♦ Dolphin-friendly fishing tips — Help protect wild dolphins while fishing By Kristin Thoms, Stacey Carlson, and Laura Engleby.......................................................................................................................................................................Page 6

♦ Sarasota dolphins serve as model for evaluating fates of dolphins injured in fisheries By Randall Wells..............................Page 7

Social Structure, Behavior, and Communication♦ Juvenile dolphin behavioral development and survival strategies By Katherine McHugh........................................................Page 8

♦ Studies of whistle development and perception By Laela Sayigh and Vincent Janik...............................................................Page 9

♦ Passive acoustic detection of dolphins in Sarasota Bay By David Mann and Peter Simard..................................................Page 10

Health and Physiology♦ Persistent organohalogen contaminants in Sarasota Bay’s bottlenose dolphins By Jennifer Yordy......................................Page 11

♦ Effects of mercury on Sarasota’s bottlenose dolphins By Todd O’Hara, Victoria Woshner, Carla Willetto,and Debra Miller.................................................................................... .....................................................................................Page 12

♦ Dolphin health and human health By Stephanie Venn-Watson.....................................................................................................Page 12

♦ Effects of red tide on dolphins, sea turtles, and sea birds By Deborah Fauquier......................................................................Page 13

♦ Studies of dolphin milk composition By Kristi West, Regina Eisert, and Olav Oftedal............................................................Page 13

♦ Recording the thermal behavior of wild dolphins By Andrew Westgate, Ann Pabst, Bill McLellan,and Erin Meagher ......................................................................................................................................................................Page 14

♦ Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events occurring at record levels By Randall Wells........................................................Page 15

Ecology, Population Structure, and Dynamics♦ Sarasota Bay dolphin monitoring program By Jason Allen..........................................................................................................Page 16

♦ Comparing patterns of habitat selection at the levels of the population and the individual By Damon Gannon,Ari Friedlaender, Janet Gannon, Elizabeth Berens,Jason Allen, Sue Hofmann, and Randall Wells.............. ............Page 18

♦ Validating stranding data in feeding ecology studies of bottlenose dolphins from Sarasota Bay, using long-termobservations By Nélio Barros, Janet Gannon, and Randall Wells....................................................................................Page 18

♦ Diet determination of Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphins, using DNA-based identification of prey remains in scatsamples By Glenn Dunshea, Nick Gales, Simon Jarman, Mark Hindell, Nélio Barros, and Randall Wells..............Page 19

♦ Effects of red tide on dolphin prey fish availability By Damon Gannon, Elizabeth Berens, and Sandra Camilleri..........Page 20

♦ Shark tracking in Sarasota Bay By Aaron Barleycorn..................................................................................................................Page 21

♦ Investigating impacts of Hurricane Charley and red tide on dolphin abundance, reproductive rates, distribution, and residency in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. By Kim Bassos-Hull..........................................................Page 22

♦ Population structure of bottlenose dolphins in and around St. Joseph Bay, Florida By Brian Balmer..................................Page 22

♦ Abundance, site-fidelity, and habitat utilization patterns of bottlenose dolphins near a National Priority Listpolluted site and an adjacent reference site in Georgia By Brian Balmer..........................................................................Page 23

Dolphin Rescues, Releases, and Follow-up Monitoring♦ Rescue, rehabilitation, release, and follow-up monitoring of bottlenose dolphin “Filly” By Randall Wells.........................Page 24

♦ Field disentanglement of “FB28” By Aaron Barleycorn...............................................................................................................Page 24

♦ Follow-up tracking of rehabilitated Risso’s dolphin “Betty” By Randall Wells.......................................................................Page 25

♦ Update on “Scrappy,” rescued in 2006 from a poor apparel choice By Jason Allen.................................................................Page 25

Involvement in Other Marine Mammal Conservation and Research Activities♦ Tagging and tracking of Franciscana dolphins in Argentina: Year 3 By Randall Wells and Pablo Bordino........................Page 26

♦ Gannon and Wells participate in NOAA/NMFS Take Reduction Teams By Damon Gannon.................................................Page 27

♦ Entanglement Working Group update By Kim Bassos-Hull..........................................................................................................Page 27

♦ Helping to conserve manatees in Southern Mesoamerica By Ester Quintana-Rizzo...............................................................Page 28

Education and Training.....................................................................................................................................................................Page 29

Volunteer Perspectives.....................................................................................................................................................................2

Operations and Staff.................................................................................................................................................................... ......Page 35

Professional Activity Summary.....................................................................................................................................................Page 36

Opportunities to Help Dolphin Research...............................................................................................................................Page 38

Sources of Support..............................................................................................................................................................................Page 39

Page

4 January 2008

HUMAN INTERACTIONS AND IMPACTSDepredation and fishing interactions involving bottlenose dolphinsBy Jessica Powell, MS Candidate, University of South Florida

Over the past few years, the dolphins of SarasotaBay and elsewhere in the southeastern United States havebeen increasingly engaged in depredation, the act of stealingor damaging a prey item already captured by some otherprocess such as fishing. Dolphins are stealing bait or catchoff fishing lines from piers or boats, stalking fishing boats inorder to eat the catch thrown back by anglers, and evenbegging from boats. The consequences of such behaviorsbecame evident in 2006 when 2% of the Sarasota Bay residentdolphin community died due to ingestion of monofilamentline or lures and hooks. Modeling showed that such losses tothis population were unsustainable. The purpose of my projectis to investigate the relative contributions of a number of factorsto the increase in dolphin interactions with anglers.

I am collecting data that will allow me to evaluatefactors such as fishing effort, dolphin age, sex, maternalrelationships, time spent foraging, habitat use, hearingcapabilities, and social patterns. I am looking for significantdifferences that may exist between animals that interact withanglers and depredate versus those that do not. I am expectingto find depredating animals more often in the presence offishing boats or piers as well as associating with other dolphinswhich interact with anglers. I am also exploring whetherdolphins that depredate have reduced hearing abilities, makingit more difficult for them to feed on their own. Data collectionbegan in May 2007 and will continue through the summer of2008. I am monitoring fishing piers, both acoustically andvisually, in the Sarasota Bay area for dolphin-anglerinteractions. I am also conducting focal animal behavioralfollows, collecting information on fishing line and boatpresence, dolphin group compositions, and activities for sevenangler-interaction and seven non-interaction animals. Angler trying to lure “FB 106” closer.

Furthermore, in an effort to raise public awarenessand support on this issue, a pamphlet is being created on“Dolphin-Friendly Fishing Tips.” The overall goal of this studyis to increase the sustainability of the Sarasota Bay dolphincommunity by reducing the number of dolphin deaths resultingdirectly or indirectly from entanglement or ingestion of fishinggear. Furthermore, since dolphin depredation and fisheriesinteractions have been shown to be a problem worldwide, Ihope to develop methods that can serve as a template forevaluating and mitigating similar issues in other areas.

This project was made possible by funding providedby the USF College of Marine Science Graduate Assistantshipand the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund.

An angler pulls in his line with baitjust before “FB 106” swims by.

“FB 246” swims by two anglers.

6 January 2008

HUMAN INTERACTIONS AND IMPACTSDolphin-friendly fishing tips — Help protect wild dolphins while fishingBy Kristin Thoms, Stacey Carlson, and Laura Engleby, NOAA’s Fisheries Service

As is evident from the previous two articles, dolphininteractions with recreational fishing gear are on the rise. Hereare some tips to help maintain your bait, catch and gear, whilehelping to prevent serious or even fatal injuries to dolphinsand other sea life. These “best fishing practices” weredeveloped through the efforts of a team of researchers fromNOAA’s Fisheries Service, the Chicago Zoological Society,Mote Marine Laboratory and Hubbs-Sea World ResearchInstitute. They were developed by reviewing informationgathered from research observations at fishing piers andelsewhere, interviewing recreational anglers and fishingguides, and re-emphasizing current conservation efforts andexisting regulations.

1) Never feed wild dolphins – it’s harmful and illegal• Feeding is illegal under the federal Marine

Mammal Protection Act.• Feeding teaches dolphins to beg for food and

draws them dangerously close to fishing gearand boat propellers.

2) Reuse or share leftover bait• Freeze leftover bait for later or give it to your

fishing neighbor.• Dumping leftover bait may attract dolphins to

fishing areas to beg or steal bait and catch.

3) Reel in your line if dolphins appear• Reel in and wait for dolphins to pass to avoid

losing your bait or catch and prevent potentialharm to dolphins.

• Never cast towards dolphins.

4) Change locations if dolphins show interest in bait orcatch

• Move away from dolphins to avoid uninten-tionally hooking one and prevent damage togear or catch.

5) Release catch quietly away from dolphins when andwhere it is possible to do so without violating any state orfederal fishing laws or regulations

• Feeding or attempting to feed a marine mammalin the wild is prohibited.

6) Check gear and terminal tackle• Inspect your gear often to avoid unwanted

line breaks – even small amounts of gear in thewater can be harmful to wildlife if entangled oringested.

7) Use circle and corrodible hooks• Circle hooks may reduce injuries to fish,

dolphins, and sea turtles.• Corrodible hooks (any hook other than

stainless steel) eventually dissolve.

8) Stay at least 50 yards away• Stay a safe distance from wild dolphins to

avoid causing potential harm.• Maintaining a safe distance helps keep

dolphins wild.

9) Recycle fishing line• Place all broken or used fishing line in a

Monofilament Fishing Line Recycling Bin.• If no recycling bins are

available, place brokenor used fishing line thathas been cut intopiecesin a lidded trashcan.

10) Stash your trash• Littering is illegal and

can be harmful towildlife.

• Collect any trash you’veleft behind and place it ina lidded trash can.

To report feeding or harassment of wild dolphins, call theNOAA Fisheries Southeast Enforcement Division at: 1-800-853-1964. To report an injured or entangled dolphin, orother wildlife, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife ConservationCommission at: 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).

If a dolphin approaches yourline, reel in and wait until itleaves.

Sarasota dolphins serve as model for evaluating fates of dolphins injured in fisheriesBy Randall Wells, PhD

NOAA’s Fisheries Service (NMFS) is charged underthe federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) withresponsibility for reducing deaths and serious injuries of marinemammals from fisheries. NMFS is tasked with determiningwhether injuries from entanglement in, or ingestion of,commercial fishing gear, or other interactions with humans arelikely to lead to mortality. The determinations of numbers ofmortalities lead to decisions about whether, for example,fisheries are allowed to continue or must modify their activitiesto come into compliance with the MMPA. When a dolphin islast seen swimming with gear attached to it, for example, asoccurs with pilot whales or Risso’s dolphins in pelagic longlinefisheries, or with a major laceration from a vessel strike, it isdifficult to evaluate the seriousness of the injury and predictwhether the animal will survive. As an alternative to offshorestudies, it has been possible to obtain relevant data undermore tractable circumstances, from our long-term data on thebottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Bay, Florida

In September, I presented an invited paper on theconsequences of serious injuries on dolphin survival andreproduction at the NOAA/NMFS Serious Injury TechnicalWorkshop in Seattle. Our long-term research wasacknowledged as being the best source of data available onthis issue for small cetaceans. We are preparing a publishablemanuscript based on the presentation, as defensible, peer-reviewed findings are needed by NMFS in making decisionsthat are likely to lead to law suits by the commercial fishingindustry.

Figure 2. Flipper of bottlenose dolphin “Toro” showing thelesions resulting from multiple constrictive wraps of line.

Figure 1. Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphin “FB 100”upon necropsy by Mote’s Stranding InvestigationsProgram, showing the large single hook and the treblehooks of a fishing lure embedded in the throat and“goosebeak.” Such injuries eventually result in death.

January 2008 7

Several kinds of injuries seem to have a highprobability of leading to mortality, including ingestion offishing gear when it involved hooks becoming embedded inthe throat, the goosebeak, or the esophagus, and line wrappedaround the goosebeak. Multiple, constrictive wraps of linearound the body, and especially at the insertions of the fins,lead to deep lacerations that can result in amputation, bloodloss, impaired mobility, or infection. Although dolphins withingested gear and severe entanglements were often still ableto swim following their initial encounter with the gear, mortalitywas likely to have occurred eventually. A reasonableprecautionary approach would be to consider dolphins withingested gear or severe constrictive entanglements aroundthe flipper and fluke insertions as mortalities.

Other severe injuries are less likely to lead to death.Vessel strike injuries from propellers appeared to be survivableif they involved only soft tissue, and not bones. Dolphinshave been observed to survive amputations or disfigurementsof the distal ends of flippers, flukes, and dorsal fins from linesand undetermined causes. It is important to note, however,that evaluations of healed wounds do not take into accountthe possibility of immediate mortalities from similar injuries.

Extrapolations of findings and conclusions frominjured coastal bottlenose dolphins to other cetacean speciesfacing similar issues but with different gear or vessels must bedone with caution and with consideration of the bestinformation available from the specific situation of concern.However, in the absence of adequate information for specificspecies or fisheries, the bottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Baycan serve as a useful surrogate for modeling impacts. NOAA’sFisheries Service will be using a write-up of this presentationas a background document for its joint meeting of the Atlantic,Pacific, and Alaskan Scientific Review Groups in January 2008in Monterey, California.

HUMAN INTERACTIONS AND IMPACTS

8 January 2008

SOCIAL STRUCTURE, BEHAVIOR, AND COMMUNICATION

Juvenile dolphin behavioral development and survival strategiesBy Katherine McHugh, PhD Candidate, University of California, Davis

The juvenile life stage is a fragile and formative timefor young animals first learning to navigate complex socialand ecological environments once independent of theirmothers. While bottlenose dolphins are among the beststudied cetaceans, virtually no work has focused onunderstanding behavioral development between weaning andsexual maturity or determining factors influencing survivorshipof independent juveniles. Because of SDRP’s long-termresearch on the bottlenose dolphin communities in the area,the “natural laboratory” of Sarasota Bay provides a uniqueopportunity to address these issues.

To this end, the main objectives of my dissertationproject are: 1) to develop a better understanding of social andbehavioral development of juvenile bottlenose dolphins and2) to determine the major behavioral and ecological influenceson survival of free-ranging juvenile dolphins. I am investigatingthese questions by combining long-term sighting and mortalitydata from the resident dolphin community in Sarasota Baywith new information collected via boat-based surveys andfocal animal observations on individually-identifiable juveniles,which will allow for both a longitudinal and cross-sectionalperspective on juvenile behavior.

Preliminary fieldwork on this project began in summer2005 and continued in summer 2006, both of which were atleast partially affected by red tide. In 2007, I spent the bulk ofmy time in the field, completing both winter and summer fieldseasons of behavioral observations. So far, I have collectedover 375 hours of focal animal behavioral follow data on 27individuals (14 females:13 males) ranging in age from 3 to 12years old. While a few of these animals have died, gonemissing, or had calves of their own since we first started theproject, most are still frequently seen in Sarasota Bay, and Iwill finish observing the remaining focal juveniles in 2008.

Behavioral observation research vessel “Nai’a” moves onto another group of dolphins after completing focal animalbehavioral observations.

One of the main areas I’ve explored so far has beenthe effects of red tide on juvenile dolphin behavior. While notoriginally intended to be a focus of this study, the first twofield seasons coincidentally took place during periods whenred tide was a factor. Preliminary analysis has shown thatboth social behavior and activity budgets differ substantiallyduring red tide. Juveniles associated in larger groups andwith significantly more community members, and spent lesstime foraging and more time socializing during red tide events,potentially as a consequence of underlying changes in relativeprey availability and distribution (see article in Ecologysection).

Additionally, I’ve spent time this year working withlong-term SDRP data to examine the transition to independencefor dolphin calves, calculating ages of separation and exploringlife history, body condition, and social factors influencing thetiming of independence for calves born into the Sarasotacommunity since 1980. I am now beginning to investigate sexand seasonal differences in juvenile behavior (primarilyassociation patterns, habitat use, ranging patterns, andactivity budgets) and will start analyzing age-related changesin behavior and exploring factors influencing survival toadulthood in the coming months. This research will reveal therange of variability in developmental trajectories of bottlenosedolphins and provide missing data on how juvenile dolphinbehavior patterns vary by sex, age, season, and time sinceweaning. Such information will provide a more comprehensiveunderstanding of dolphin life history and survival strategies,which may have implications for conservation andmanagement of long-lived coastal cetaceans.

Support for this project has come from the ChicagoZoological Society, NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the UC DavisGraduate Scholars Fellowship in Animal Behavior, the AnimalBehavior Society’s Cetacean Behavior and ConservationAward, and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Katie McHugh calls data from the observation tower of “Nai’a”to interns Mackenzie Consoer and Laura Bagge while internChristina Toms photographs the dolphins in the group.

January 2008 9

Studies of whistle development and perceptionBy Laela Sayigh, PhD, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and University of North Carolina,Wilmington, and Vincent Janik, PhD, Sea Mammal Research Unit, St. Andrews, Scotland

We continue to work toward creating a fully digitalwhistle database that will be accessible to other researchers.During each capture-release session, high-quality recordingsare obtained, making the Sarasota Whistle Database the mostcomprehensive of its kind in the world. Many individuals havebeen recorded on multiple occasions, over periods of manyyears, enabling us to examine questions about dolphincommunication that are not possible elsewhere. This year, weused this database to address a claim made in a recent paperthat signature whistles do not exist (McCowan & Reiss 2001;Animal Behaviour 62:1151-1162). In our study, we randomlyselected 20 whistles from each of 20 randomly selected dolphinsin the Sarasota Whistle Database, and asked judges to groupwhistles according to their overall contour, or pattern offrequency changes over time (Figure 1). Although the judgeshad no knowledge about the number of dolphins present in thesample, they consistently grouped together whistles producedby the same dolphin (an average of 18.9 out of 20 whistles of agiven dolphin were grouped together, and an average of only0.5 out of 380 possible whistles of other dolphins were includedin these groups). Our paper, entitled “Facts about signaturewhistles of bottlenose dolphins” was published in the journalAnimal Behavior, and provides unequivocal evidence for theproduction of individually distinctive signature whistles bybottlenose dolphins.

Figure 1. Examples of signature whistles of ten different individualbottlenose dolphins recorded during temporary capture in Sarasota,Florida. Spectrograms were made with AVISOFT SASLab Pro, at asample rate of 80,000 Hz and a 256 point FFT.

Currently, we have several avenues of research underway:

1) We are carrying out playback experiments during capture-release to find out whether dolphins can recognize each otherby means of voice cues. Experiments that have been describedin previous issues of Nicks’n’Notches demonstrated thatdolphins can recognize the frequency modulation patterns ofthe signature whistles of other individuals, but we do notknow if they also can recognize animals by the tone of theirvoice. We are playing back non-signature whistles to dolphinsto see whether they recognize who produced them.

2) We are also using playback experiments to look at howdolphins react when their own signature whistle is copied bysomeone else. Wild dolphins sometimes mimic the signaturesof others, presumably to address or find a specific animalthey are looking for. In this study we are looking at howdolphins react to a playback of a copy of their own whistle.This may help us understand whether dolphin signaturewhistles are used like human names to address individuals.

3) We are studying the factors influencing signature whistledevelopment in bottlenose dolphin calves. Bottlenosedolphins are unusual among mammals in that they learn theirindividually distinctive signature whistles. We have recordedsignature whistles of 111 bottlenose dolphin calves duringbrief capture-release events in Sarasota Bay, Florida since1975. Social association data, consisting of at least 10 sightingsduring the first year of life, are available for 74 of these calves.We are assessing similarity of the calves’ whistles to theirmothers, siblings, close associates, and infrequent associatesusing quantitative comparisons. Visual assessment ofwhistles from 99 mother-calf pairs has found that 34% ofcalves had signature whistles similar to those of their mothers.Of the remaining calves, some still shared acoustic featureswith the mother, such as non-linear elements or constantfrequency portions. Several calves produced whistles similarto those of older siblings. We are examining a variety of factors,such as sex, birth order, number of associates, and socialassociation patterns of the mother as possible influences onvocal development. Our results show that more than half ofall calves develop whistles that show little resemblance tothe mother’s whistle, but that mothers and siblings are oftenimportant vocal models to their calves.

This work was funded by a grant to L. Sayigh and R.Wells from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution’s ProtectWild Dolphins Program, and a Royal Society UniversityResearch Fellowship from the UK to V. M. Janik.


10 January 2008


Passive acoustic detection of dolphins in Sarasota BayBy David Mann, PhD, and Peter Simard, PhD student, University of South Florida

Bottlenose dolphins produce a variety of sounds,most of which are either echolocation or whistles (Figure 1).Echolocation is used mainly in navigation and foraging; arapid series of short “pulsed” broadband sounds are producedby the dolphin, and the returning echo is used by the animalto determine information about its environment (for example,the presence, size, and movement direction of a fish). Whistlesare relatively long, lower frequency “tonal” sounds. Thesesounds are thought to be mostly used in social contexts. TheSarasota bottlenose dolphin community is one of only twopopulations of dolphins worldwide which have been shownto produce “signature whistles”, whistles which are unique toan individual. The highly acoustic nature of dolphins makesthe use of passive acoustics, or listening, a useful tool indetecting their presence. The purpose of this project is to useunderwater recordings to detect bottlenose dolphins inSarasota Bay and to monitor noise levels which couldpotentially disturb these dolphins.

Figure 1: Bottlenose dolphin whistle (left) and echolocation(right), recorded in New Pass, Sarasota Bay (48,828 Hz).

Figure 2: Location of four hydrophone array(white circles) in New Pass, Sarasota Bay.

Hydrophones were deployed in November 2005 inNew Pass, Sarasota Bay (directly behind the Ann and AlfredGoldstein Marine Mammal Center at Mote Marine Laboratory;Figure 2). Hydrophone data were digitized and saved onto anexternal hard drive, and all processing and data storagecomponents were housed in a waterproof “dock box” locatednear the hydrophone. Data from the external hard drives canbe analyzed in two ways. Manual inspection of the data filesis practical for small data sets (by listening to them or visuallyidentifying the recognizable waveforms of dolphinvocalizations in acoustics software). However, for large datasets this method is too labor intensive. The MATLAB programDPASS (Dolphin Passive Acoustics Surveillance System) usesa series of mathematical functions to identify dolphin whistlesand echolocation pulses from acoustic files. The New Passrecordings, which currently constitute several terabytes ofdata, can only be analyzed with such a technique.

One question that can be addressed with these datais the overlap between visual sightings conducted by SDRPand acoustic detection. To investigate this question, 38 visualsurvey times were selected and the detection of dolphins byvisual and acoustic methods were compared. During a total of10 visual sightings, four had corresponding dolphinvocalizations, and six did not. In addition, there were fiveincidences of dolphins being heard, but not seen. Theseresults suggest that dolphins are frequently silent as they usethe pass; however we are currently determining the preciseacoustic range of the hydrophone. Once this is determined,we can use the exact GPS position of the dolphin sightings totest for overlap in a more rigorous manner. For this data set,whistles and echolocation clicks were identified manually;however DPASS was tested using a subset of the New Passdata. 50 files with dolphin whistles and 100 files without (andcontaining various levels of boat noise) were used to testDPASS. The program was able to correctly identify 92% ofthe dolphin whistles correctly, with a 2% false detection rate.

New Pass is a high traffic area for recreational boats,being one of the only passes between Sarasota Bay and theGulf of Mexico. This results in a great deal of noise in theaquatic environment. High levels of background noise havebeen definitively shown to affect cetacean behavior. One ofthe goals in this project is to quantify the boat noise presentin New Pass over time. This has important conservationimplications for the bottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Bay andthe Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the use of acoustics allows usto monitor these dolphins continuously, including at nightand in poor weather conditions. In the winter of 2008 we willbe wiring the hydrophones into the Marine Mammal Buildingand developing a web page to broadcast recordings from thehydrophones.

We wish to thank the Harbor Branch OceanographicInstitution’s Protect Wild Dolphins program for providing thefunding making this research possible.

January 2008 11

HEALTH AND PHYSIOLOGY

Bottlenose dolphin health assessments in Sarasota BayHealth assessments were not conducted in Sarasota Bay during 2007, in order to provide breathing time for staff and colleaguesto process samples, analyze data, prepare reports and manuscripts, and develop ideas for future research, as evidenced in theinformation presented below.

Persistent organohalogen contaminants in Sarasota Bay’s bottlenose dolphinsBy Jennifer Yordy, PhD Candidate, Medical University of South Carolina and National Institute ofStandards and Technology.

Bottlenose dolphins are long-lived, fish-eatingmarine mammals that are at or near the top of the food web incoastal ecosystems. As a result, they are vulnerable toaccumulating heavy burdens of persistent organohalogencontaminants (POCs). POCs are man-made compounds thatare used in industry, agricultural and domestic settings aselectrical insulating fluids, flame retardants and insecticides.They were released into the environment before their toxicitiesand environmental consequences were fully understood;however, we now know that POCs can persist in theenvironment for decades and can have effects ranging fromcancer to effects on the immune system, and perhaps increasethe rate of first-born mortality. POCs found in dolphins nowinclude compounds such as the polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides (for example, DDT and itsmetabolites) which were banned from production in the 1970s,as well as compounds in active use such as the polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Mixtures of all of these compoundshave been readily detected in the blubber, milk, and blood ofthe resident bottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Bay.

It is well known that contaminant mixtures may havetoxicities differing significantly from those found for singlecompounds. Therefore, knowledge regarding mixturecomposition is important for understanding the link betweencontaminant burden, adverse health, and reproductive effectsin marine mammals. Many factors influence how dolphins areexposed to contaminant mixtures, including maternal exposure,birth order, diet, age, sex, reproductive maturity, and nutritionalstate. The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program provides anunparalleled opportunity for assessing contaminant exposureat the population level as many of these parameters are knownfor the resident bottlenose dolphins.

To assess the degree of POC exposure and potentialhealth and reproductive effects in the Sarasota Bay bottlenosedolphin population, approximately 195 blubber, blood and milksamples were collected for contaminant analysis during captureand release health assessments since June 2000. In addition,major dolphin prey fish, including pinfish, pigfish, and mulletwere analyzed for 81 POC compounds to assess the role of dieton contaminant exposure.

In dolphin blubber, legacy compounds such as PCBsand 4,4’-DDE (a toxic metabolite of DDT) were found at highlevels (0.5- 52 parts per million or ppm). Previous work suggeststhat 17 ppm is a threshold level above which health andreproductive impacts might be expected for bottlenosedolphins. Emerging POCs such as PBDEs were still detectedat significant concentrations (0.01-9.7 ppm). POC levels indolphin milk (0.13- 2.3 ppm) and prey fish (0.002-0.08 ppm)were dramatically lower than those found in dolphin blubbersuggesting that dolphins efficiently take up contaminants fromtheir diet and that POCs are biomagnifying in dolphins withinSarasota Bay.

Statistical analyses of POCs in dolphin blubber andmilk indicated that adult females and milk had POC mixturesthat are different from those found in juvenile and adult maledolphins. These results suggest that females selectivelyoffload POCs through the milk to their calves. Since POCmixtures differ in toxicity, there may be health implications forthe different life history groups within the Sarasota population.Future plans include assessing the toxicity of these mixturesusing in-vitro bioassays. This data may also be used in thefuture to assess potential health effects in other wild cetaceanpopulations.

Funding for thisproject is provided byNOAA’s Fisheries Serviceand the National Institute ofStandards and Technology.Dolphin Quest providedopportunities for samplecollection through thehealth assessment research.

Levels of POC’s in prey fish are lower than thosein dolphin blubber, suggesting that contaminantsare magnified through the food web.

Jennifer Yordy carefullyplaces samples in liquidnitrogen for transport tothe lab.

12 January 2008


Effects of mercury on Sarasota’s bottlenose dolphinsBy Todd O’Hara, DVM/PhD, Victoria Woshner,DVM/PhD, Carla Willetto, DVM, and Debra Miller DVM/PhD, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Blood and epidermal (outer layer of skin) samplesfrom free-ranging bottlenose dolphins captured and releasedduring health assessments in Sarasota Bay were evaluated forconcentrations of mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), stable isotopesof carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to address diet patterns of thedolphins, and blood glutathione peroxidase activity(antioxidant enzyme dependent on selenium) in conjunctionwith routine hematology (examination of blood) and serumchemistry panels (for example, measures of kidney, liver andother organ system function). We evaluated these multipleendpoints to determine if: 1) mercury could be producingadverse effects (toxicosis), 2) selenium may not be present inadequate chemical forms and amounts (deficiency), or 3) both(mercury toxicosis and selenium deficiency – a possible nutrientand chemical interaction).

Major objectives were to: 1) quantify and describerelationships among mercury, selenium, glutathione peroxidase,and stable isotopes of C and N in blood and epidermis; 2)elucidate major parameters that influence blood mercury andglutathione peroxidase activity; 3) relate measures of tissuemercury, selenium, and glutathione peroxidase to specificecological, hematological, morphological, or life historyparameters, including season, sex, age, and trophic level. Thisresulted in a manuscript that was recently submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

As expected, mercury in both epidermis and blood isalmost exclusively methylmercury (the more bioavailable andtoxic form as compared to inorganic forms). Epidermalconcentrations of mercury and selenium reflect (correlate with)their respective amounts in blood, albeit at several times bloodconcentrations of mercury (epidermis has been proposed as apathway for excretion of mercury as it sheds from the animal).The strong association between blood mercury and serumselenium, in conjunction with a lack of significant correlationbetween blood mercury and glutathione peroxidase, impliesthat a substantial proportion of blood mercury is affiliatedwith another selenium-containing moiety or is related to recentdietary intakes (for example, trophic level, intensive fishconsumption). It is well known that mercury and seleniuminteract (selenium can make mercury less toxic) and we needto better understand how increased exposure to mercury mayincrease the demand for dietary selenium. Circulating bloodmercury concentrations correlated with serum seleniumconcentration (age and the trophic level in the food web werefound to be important considerations for the status of mercuryand selenium). Current selenium concentrations in SarasotaBay dolphins appear adequate for maintenance of bloodglutathione peroxidase activity. However, dolphins appear tobe subject to seasonal variability which might render themmore vulnerable to toxic effects of mercury at some times ofthe year. We need to further assess the condition of these

Dolphin health and human healthBy Stephanie Venn-Watson, DVM/MPH

It is believed that humans and dolphins haveshared blood glucose transport systems to support large brainsSeveral collaborative efforts are underway to examine diseaseprocesses in dolphins relative to human medicine. Recentresearch has shown that bottlenose dolphins may get mildcolds from a virus called Tursiops truncatus parainfluenzavirus type 1(TtPIV-1). Parainfluenza viruses are commonlyassociated with colds in humans and dogs and have beenfound in many mammals throughout the world. A blood testwas developed to test dolphins for exposure to TtPIV-1, andwe used this test on stored, frozen samples collected fromwild bottlenose dolphins living in Sarasota Bay. The studydemonstrated that 66% of healthy Sarasota dolphins hadevidence of exposure to parainfluenza virus during 2005-2006.Future research on TtPIV-1 may include its potential as avaccine for humans against similar parainfluenza viruses.

Despite living in very different environments,bottlenose dolphins and humans have uniquely sharedphysical characteristics, including large brain size and redblood cells that can transport blood sugar (glucose). thatrequire high amounts of glucose to function (Venn-WatsonS., Ridgway SH. 2007. Big brains and blood glucose: Commonground for diabetes mellitus in humans and dolphins.Comparative Medicine 57:390-395). Recent studies haveshown that healthy dolphins, after eating a meal, have ametabolism similar to people with diabetes. Ongoingcollaborative research involves studying blood chemistries inhealthy, wild bottlenose dolphins living in Sarasota Bay to tryand identify clues about their metabolism that may benefitpeople with diabetes as well as enhance ideal diets for dolphinsunder the care of humans.

dolphins and their prey fish. This interaction could also beimportant for rehabilitation efforts to consider as well (forexample, adequate selenium levels for dolphins). The supportof Dolphin Quest for providing sample collection opportunitiesduring health assessments is much appreciated, as is thesupport of NOAA’s Fisheries Service for sample processing.

Sometimes humans and dolphins come into close proximityas occurred at Siesta Beach in March 2007.

January 2008 13

Effects of red tide on dolphins, sea turtles andsea birdsBy Deborah Fauquier, DVM, PhD student,University of California, Santa Cruz

We have been investigating the impacts of red tideon Sarasota Bay dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds over thelast several years. Although the Sarasota Bay area did notexperience a red tide bloom during 2007 we are still investigatingthe impacts of the severe red tide blooms in 2005 and 2006 onthese species. We have collected data from stranded dolphins,sea turtles, and sea birds to determine brevetoxin (the toxinproduced by red tide organisms) levels in these species andthe effects brevetoxin has on increasing morbidity andmortality in these species. In sea turtles and sea birds wehave been able to collect blood and/or fecal samples from liveanimals suffering from brevetoxicosis and determine howquickly or slowly these animals clear the toxin from their blood.

Seventy-six percent of dolphins stranding during2006-2007 (n=21) had brevetoxin levels above the detectionlimit and were classified as brevetoxin positive animals. Ofthese positive animals, 30% were determined to have diedfrom brevetoxin intoxication or it was implicated as acontributory factor to death.

Sea birds and sea turtles stranding during 2005 and2006 had clinical signs of red tide intoxication including circling,paralysis, and seizures. Red tide intoxication appeared to bethe primary cause of stranding in 46 of 74 (62%) live strandedsea birds and 30 of 40 (75%) sea turtles. Sea birds were able toclear the toxin from their blood in 10 days, while it took up to50 days for some sea turtles to clear the toxin due to theirlower metabolic rate (Figure 1).

Findings from this study are only preliminary, butthe fact that the majority of the live and dead sea birds and seaturtles sampled during the 2005 and 2006 red tide events werepositive for the red tide toxin indicates that red tide intoxicationplays a larger role in the morbidity and mortality of sea birdand sea turtles off the west coast of Florida than previouslyrecognized. In addition, the information that sea birds canclear the red tide toxin from their bodies within 10 days ofrehabilitation whereas it may take up to 50 days for sea turtlesto clear the toxin can be used by rehabilitators to modifytreatment plans for animals suspected of suffering from redtide intoxication. This modification of treatment plans maylead to increased success in the rehabilitation of these animals.

Our research was supported by funding from theJohn H. Prescott Grant Program, Morris Animal Foundationand the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate Sea Turtle GrantsProgram.

Studies of dolphin milk compositionBy Kristi West, PhD, Regina Eisert, and OlavOftedal, PhD, Smithsonian Institution

Free-ranging bottlenose dolphin calves may consumemilk as either a sole or combined energy source for the firstseveral years of life. Our project aimed to determine thenutritional value of milk received by known-age bottlenosedolphin calves in Sarasota Bay including the percentage offat, protein, water, sugar and caloric content. We were alsointerested in the relationship between milk and calfsurvivorship, age, size and body condition of both mothersand calves. Additionally, our group began research todetermine when Sarasota Bay’s dolphin calves are able toobtain nutritional resources (prey fish) for themselves. Thisobjective was met through the first time application of a noveldietary biomarker technique to establish if any given dolphinhas recently fed on solid food.

Our study results were obtained by the proximateanalysis of forty-six milk samples that were collected between1988 and 2006 during the temporary capture and release of 30individually identified bottlenose dolphin mothers fromSarasota Bay. There was no significant relationship betweencalf survivorship and milk composition. However, calf massincreased significantly with the percentage of milk fat andvaried inversely with milk water and potassium content. Wehave also analyzed serum samples obtained during temporarycapture and release efforts from a number of known age motherand calf pairs in Sarasota Bay. These samples have beenanalyzed to determine the amount of dietary biomarkers whichprovide insight into recent feed history of the individualdolphins. A significant relationship was apparent between theranking of biomarker concentrations in the paired mothers andcalves. This suggests that paired mothers and calves do notforage separately, but instead if the mother is eating a largemeal, the calf is likely to be simultaneously ingesting asubstantial amount of food. It is likely that dolphin calveslearn about foraging grounds and prey capture techniquesfrom their mothers while continuing to suckle. Additionally,the concentration of dietary biomarker and age weresignificantly related in the Sarasota dolphin calves. It is likelythat this reflects an increasing amount of solid food intake ingrowing calves. Our wild dolphin calves were aged betweenalmost 2 years of age and 5 years, a period of rapid growthprobably fueled by increased food intake.

Further investigations into dolphin calf nutrition areneeded, but our research indicates that it is vital that sufficientprey is available for lactating mothers. This is important toensure high fat milk can be provided to dolphin calves andthat resources are available for simultaneous foraging ofmothers and their calves.

This research was supported by the Harbor BranchOceanographic Institution’s Protect Wild Dolphins program,and samples were collected through Dolphin Quest’s supportof capture-release operations for health assessment.


“Zach”, a loggerhead turtle rescuednear Boca Grande, Florida on8 September 2006. He was treated forred tide toxicosis at Mote and thenreleased on 17 November 2006.

14 January 2008

Bumpy Fin with changed fin in Charlotte Harbor February2001.

Recording the thermal behavior of wild dolphins.By Andrew Westgate, PhD, Ann Pabst, PhD, Bill McLellan, BS, and Erin Meagher, PhD Candidate,University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Since 1999 we have been developing and testing newways to study the thermal behavior of wild bottlenose dolphins.Over the course of this six-year project we were able to collectdetailed data records from a large number of dolphins in theSarasota community. Recently, we published the first in aseries of papers that will examine this important data set. Thepaper, which came out this past summer, was published underthe title “A new device to remotely measure heat flux and skintemperatures from free-swimming dolphins”, in the Journal ofExperimental Marine Biology and Ecology (JEBMB 346:45-59).

Our objectives for this project were to record howdolphins respond thermally to their environment. We all knowthat that if a dolphin gets too hot it can’t just turn up the airconditioning! It must to be able to respond physiologically tokeep its body at an optimal temperature, which is about 99degrees. To meet this objective we developed a unique datalogger that we could attach to the dorsal fin of a dolphin usinga series of tiny suction cups (just like the ones on the back ofyour bathmat! - see Figure 1). The logger sat on the dorsal finand, by way a small sensor, recorded how much heat thedolphin was giving off. The tags were designed to pop offafter a few hours, and they floated so that the radio transmitter’santenna was above the water’s surface, so we could retrievethem. Back at the lab, we downloaded the heat sensor dataalong with other information including: the depths to whichthe animal dove, water temperature, skin temperature, and theanimal’s speed through the water. By analyzing these datatogether it is now possible to see how heat loss patterns changeas an animal moves about in its natural habitat.

Figure 1. A thermal logger positioned on thedorsal fin of a male bottlenose dolphin.

Figure 2. Temperature and heat flux recordsobtained from two dolphins; the upper in Winterand the lower in Summer.

Six year old male- January 2005

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This first paper describes in detail how the pack wasdesigned and built and gives examples of the kinds of datathat it can collect. If we look at Figure 2 we can see recordsfrom two tag deployments; the upper collected in summer whenwater temperatures were warm, and the lower in winter whenwater temperatures were much cooler. Heat loss by the dolphinvaries over the course of both these deployments but dropsoff to very low levels in the latter part of the winter deployment.We believe that this response is due to the cooler watertemperatures and indicates that the animal is slowing down itsheat loss to preserve body heat. These and other records willbe analyzed in much more detail for upcoming publications.In the end, we will hopefully have a much clearerunderstanding of how dolphins cope in both warm and coldconditions. These insights may prove especially valuable assea temperatures respond to global warming. We thankDolphin Quest for support of the capture-release operationsfor health assessment that provided tagging opportunities,and NOAA’s Fisheries Service for support for working up ourdata.

January 2008 17

Table 1: Births, additions, deaths, and disappearances of well-known dolphins from Sarasota Bay and vicinity over the past year.

BirthsID NAME EVENTFB07 Lightning Seventh known calfFB55 FB 55 Third known calfFB65 Tramp Fourth known calfFB79 FB 79 Sixth known calfFB87 Square Notch Third known calfFB90 Killer Seventh known calfF113 Lizzie Second known calfF125 Annie Second known calfF141 Big Shout Third known calfC991 C99-1 First known calfHAWK Hawk Third known calf

Permanent DisappearancesID NAME EVENTF169 FB 169 Not IDed 2006, 2007F189 Venice De Milo Not IDed 2006, 2007SBDO Scooby Doo Not IDed 2006, 2007SHTC Short Cut Not IDed 2006, 2007FB76 Racing Stripe Not IDed 2006, 2007F120 FB 120 Not IDed 2006, 2007F136 Sawblade Not IDed 2006, 2007F226 FB 226 Not IDed 2006, 20071833 C183-3 Not IDed 2006, 2007

DeathsID NAME EVENTF139 Remo Died 31 January 2007F195 Beaker Died 26 July 2007F230 FB 230 Died 17 July 2007C077 C07-7 Missing, presumed deadC873 C87-3 Missing, presumed deadC907 C90-7 Died 7 July 20071132 C113-2 Missing, presumed dead

“Annie” surfacing with her second calf lessthan two weeks after it was born, July 2007.

Three generations together, May 2007. “Scooter” andher yearling swim toward “Scooter’s” mother, “FB 79.”

“Casper” catches a mullet, March 2007.

Some pleasure boaters get a surprise show from “FB 127,”March 2007. It is important that boaters remember thatthey are a guest in the dolphins’ home and safely admirethem from a distance of at least fifty yards.

ECOLOGY, POPULATION STRUCTURE, AND DYNAMICS

18 January 2008

Comparing patterns of habitat selection at thelevels of the population and the individualBy Damon Gannon, PhD, Ari Friedlaender, PhD,Duke University, Janet Gannon, MS, ElizabethBerens, MS, Jason Allen, BS, Sue Hofmann, BS,and Randall Wells, PhD

Humans tend to think of animal species as beingcomposed of individuals with identical habitat requirementsand food preferences. In fact, many foundational theories inbehavioral ecology assume that all members of a populationbehave in the same manner. This is a result of how mostwildlife studies are conducted. It is often difficult to identifyindividual animals in the wild, so most studies of foragingecology and habitat selection are conducted at the level of thepopulation (aggregating all observations of animals rather thaninvestigating how specific individuals behave). The problemwith this approach is that if the assumption of all animalsbehaving similarly is incorrect, then the investigator may reacherroneous conclusions. If individuals within a population arehabitat specialists but there are differences among themregarding the specific resources that they select, thenpopulation-level studies may lead to erroneous conclusionsthat all members of the population are habitat generalists.

Because the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program hasbeen conducting photographic identification studies ofbottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay for over 37 years, we areuniquely positioned to investigate how the results of habitatselection studies might differ depending on whether thepopulation or individual approach is used. In conjunctionwith our studies of the distribution and abundance of dolphinprey fish, we have developed detailed classifications of habitatswithin Sarasota Bay, and can quantify the ranging patterns ofresident dolphins relative to habitat features using GIStechnology.

We have found that at the level of the population,dolphins did not use any habitat type disproportionately toits availability (meaning that as a group, the dolphins showedno preference for any particular habitat). In contrast, individualdolphins exhibited strong habitat selection, and there weredifferences among individuals regarding the specific habitatsthat they chose to use within the community range.Furthermore, patterns of habitat selection may be related toage, sex, reproductive condition, and maternal lineage.Therefore, this appears to be a generalist population composedof individual specialists. Differences in habitat selection likelyreflect differences in prey preferences, foraging strategies,nutritional requirements, and/or social status. Attempting tomanage bottlenose dolphin populations (or those of anyspecies) without a proper understanding of individual variationin habitat selection may leave some elements of the populationat risk. Support for this work has come primarily from NOAA’sFisheries Service.

Validating stranding data in feeding ecologystudies of bottlenose dolphins from SarasotaBay, using long-term observationsBy Nélio Barros, PhD, Janet Gannon, MS, andRandall Wells, PhD

We have been using the ratios of stable isotopes indolphin tissues to examine feeding patterns of bottlenosedolphins along Florida’s west coast. Results from the stableisotope analyses suggest that differences exist at thepopulation level, which allow us to distinguish offshore andvarious inshore dolphin populations, and we have started toexamine potential individual variability in feeding preferences.We hope to accomplish this by examining inter-annualvariability in isotopic composition of dolphin teeth (inprogress) and by collecting tissues from known free-ranginganimals during occasional capture-release health assessmentsin Sarasota Bay. As described above, it has been recentlyshown that individual dolphins strongly select the habitatthey occupy, which in turn could reflect dietary preferences.Our previous stomach content analyses have also shownindividual differences in dolphin food habits, with someindividuals consuming seagrass-associated fish, whereasothers preferred prey fish found around rocky structures andpilings.

Considering that feeding plays an important role inwhere the animals are found, and the habitats they select,particular interest has been paid to the affects of human-induced and natural disturbances in the environment thatmight negatively impact the dolphins. Those includeperturbations in estuarine ecosystems caused by prolongedand intense red tide events, which may cause depletion oftheir food sources, a shift in the animals’ distribution, andincreased morbidity and mortality. As a possible result ofdecline of their preferred prey, known resident dolphins wereimpacted by increased mortality due to ingestion of recreationalfishing gear (as described above). The magnitude of thismortality has raised concerns about the long-term survival ofthe resident dolphin community if this trend continues.

Our goal is to investigate the feeding ecology ofSarasota Bay dolphins at the individual and population levels,using data obtained from stranded and free-ranging animals.We plan to address seasonal as well as inter-annual variabilityin feeding and assess any dietary shifts that might take placeas a result of environmental disturbances (for example, redtide). As isotopic ratios in dolphin teeth represent the feedinghistory of the animal over its entire life, we will use tissues thatreflect a briefer history (weeks to a few months), such as skinand muscle. To be able to use archived samples collected fromstranded animals in addressing these ecological questions,we tested the hypothesis that dolphin stranding locationreflected the area occupied by the animals when they werealive. We analyzed historical sighting data from 42 residentbottlenose dolphins and created three measures of home range.


January 2008 19

Diet determination of Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphins, using DNA-based identificationof prey remains in scat samplesBy Glenn Dunshea, PhD student, University of Tasmania and Australian Antarctic Division,Nick Gales, PhD, and Simon Jarman, PhD, Australian Antarctic Division, Mark Hindell, PhD,University of Tasmania, Nélio Barros, PhD, and Randall Wells, PhD

This work is part of larger on-going studies beingconducted by the Australian Antarctic Division, developingand applying methods to determine the diet of free rangingcetaceans, non-invasively. We are using the simple conceptthat if prey is eaten, then prey remains will be present in fecalmatter (‘scat’) and the prey can be identified by unique DNAsequences that are present in all different species. Put simply;‘prey goes in, prey DNA comes out’. Generally in cetaceans,diet can only be specifically examined either by observation(which is rare and inevitably biased towards surface activity)or by examining prey remains in the stomachs of stranded orincidentally killed individuals. These data may not berepresentative of healthy free-ranging individuals so theadvantage of DNA techniques is they can examine the diet offree ranging animals in a minimally biased, non-invasivefashion. These data can then be used not only to furtherunderstand the ecology of the focal species and ecosystemprocesses but also to examine whether the assumptions ofmore traditional diet analysis techniques are valid for estimatingthe diet of healthy, free ranging individuals.

The basic way these techniques work involvescollecting feces from free-ranging animals, extracting DNA fromthe scat sample in the laboratory and analyzing the scat derivedDNA for prey DNA sequences. When prey sequences arefound, they can be compared to large on-line databases thatcan match a specific sequence to a specific prey species orgroups. How do we collect scat from a live free-ranging marinemammal you may ask? Well, there are a number of different(rather glamorous) ways, however in the case of Sarasotadolphins scat is collected opportunistically during the capture-

With only a few exceptions, dolphins stranded where theyhad been historically sighted, and the three home rangemeasures largely reflected those findings – dolphins typicallystrand well within the confines of their home range (Figure 1).Those who deviate from this pattern don’t seem to stray toofar, being typically found within 13 km of their home rangeboundaries. With these results we feel confident that dataderived from strandings can be applied to the population atlarge for these resident dolphins.

release process for health assessment. When scat is collectedit is preserved in buffer for the long trip back to Tasmaniawhere the sample analysis takes place. So far we have resultsback for scats from 15 different Sarasota dolphins and wehave discovered 19 different prey items in their scats. Twospecies, pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) and spot (Leiostomusxanthurus), were found in most scats (71% and 57%respectively) indicating that they are important prey items inthe time of year when the samples were collected. These resultsfit in well with Dr. Nélio Barros’s work on prey consumption inthis population.

These results are important as they demonstrate forthe first time the ability to gain unbiased specific preyinformation from multiple live free-ranging individualcetaceans. This proves the utility of DNA methods as a viablealternative, as well as being able to further complement,stomach contents analyses. These methods can also help usto understand the prey range and foraging ecology of toplevel predators such as bottlenose dolphins, which can informus as to possible adverse effects human actions might haveon ecosystems. For example, we can better understand thedirect and indirect effects of fisheries and environmentalcatastrophes that result in large scale mortalities of focal speciesif we know where they fit in food webs. I wish to acknowledgethe financial support of the Australian Antarctic Division andthe Ian Holsworth Wildlife Research Trust Fund. DolphinQuest provided support for the health assessment operations.I am also especially grateful to the staff at Mote MarineLaboratory and the Chicago Zoological Society, who havemade the field component of this work possible (and a pleasure).


Figure 1. Sighting history of long-time residentfemale "FB29." She died in 1998 at 35 years ofage, and stranded in Palma Sola Bay. "FB29"died from ingestion of a fishing lure, and hernewborn calf disappeared upon her death.

January 2008 21

Shark tracking in Sarasota BayBy Aaron Barleycorn, BS

Part of understanding dolphin behavior is learninghow these animals interact with their predators. Large sharksare the only known natural predator of dolphins in the SarasotaBay area; about 31% of Sarasota’s dolphins bear shark bitescars. Bull, tiger, and dusky sharks are the most likely dolphinpredators, based on historic shark stomach content data.Beyond a paper published by Mote’s Dr. Eugenie Clark andKay von Schmidt back in 1965, very little is known about thedistribution, abundance, or ranging patterns of large sharks inthis area, especially within Sarasota Bay. Previous effortshave been unable to locate large sharks inshore, yet therehave been several instances where dead dolphins have beenfound deep inside the bay with fresh shark bite wounds.Further evidence of shark presence inside the bay came onthe night of 15 August 2007 when a New College student wasbitten by a shark while swimming off the school’s seawallalong the eastern shore of Sarasota Bay. A shark expert atMote Marine Laboratory believed the bite pattern was that ofa 2 m (6 ft) long bull shark (Figure 1). This project, planned wellin advance of the attack on the coed, was designed to gain abetter understanding of large (>2m) shark abundance andhabitat use within Sarasota Bay waters.

Baited hooks were attached to drum lines which aredesigned to select for large sharks. Hooked sharks are able toswim easily and relatively unharmed until retrieved byresearchers. Over nine field days, 280 drum lines were set forabout two hours each. On 21 August, fishing effort wasconcentrated in the area around the 15 August shark incidentnear New College. Two hooks came up without bait and withcut lines, but no sharks were caught. The cut lines wereconsidered reasonable evidence of large sharks taking bait,and the two locations were noted as probable areas of shark

Figure 1. Bull shark caught by Mote MarineLaboratory scientists.

use. Overall, three animals were caught: two nurse sharks thatwere not considered potential dolphin predators, and one 2.3m bull shark (Figure 2). An ultrasonic tag was attached to thebull shark in order to track its movements. Unfortunately, thetracking boat lost the shark’s signal almost immediately afterrelease. Over the next few weeks several attempts were madeto reacquire the bull shark using the ultrasonic receiver, butno positive signals were acquired. This study has, however,shown that large sharks do inhabit Sarasota Bay but moreeffort is needed to further understand shark use in this area.

Mote’s Shark Research Center, especially ArmandoUbeda and Beau Yeiser, was integral to the project with initialadvice and hands on field assistance. This project wassupported with funding from NOAA’s Fisheries Service.

Figure 2. Locations of shark attack andfishing activities in 2007.


Dr. Blair Irvine (left) andDr. Jackie Ogden (ofDisney’s Animal Programs)supporting a bottlenosedolphin during healthassessment. Blair beganthe SDRP while working onshark-dolphin research atMote in 1970.

22 January 2008

Population structure of bottlenose dolphins inand around St. Joseph Bay, FloridaBy Brian Balmer, MS, PhD Student, University ofNorth Carolina, Wilmington

During three Unusual Mortality Events (UMEs),(1999-2000, 2004, and 2005-2006), more than 300 bottlenosedolphins died along the Florida Panhandle. St. Joseph Baywas the geographic focus of the 2004 mortality event. Themost recent (1994) NOAA’s Fisheries Service abundanceestimate for bottlenose dolphins in St. Joseph Bay is zero, butdolphins are currently observed in the region throughout theyear. Thus, critical gaps exist in our knowledge of bottlenosedolphin abundance in this region. The goals of this studywere to estimate seasonal abundance, identify site-fidelitypatterns, and determine utilization areas (region in which ananimal conducts its normal activities during the study period)of bottlenose dolphins in the St. Joseph Bay region.

Mark-recapture photo-identification surveys wereconducted during each season to estimate abundance usingclosed and robust population models. Site-fidelity indices(i.e. the amount of time individuals were spending within theSt. Joseph Bay region) were calculated from the total numberof sightings of each identified individual during all photo-identification efforts carried out in the region (April 2004-July2007). Mark-recapture abundance estimates were highest inspring (327-480) and fall (282 - 462) and lowest in summer (116-176) and winter (122-184). Individuals with low site-fidelityindices were sighted more often in spring and fall than insummer and winter. Individuals sighted during summer andwinter displayed higher site-fidelity indices.

Investigating impacts of Hurricane Charley andred tide on dolphin abundance, reproductive rates,distribution, and residency in Charlotte Harborand Pine Island Sound.By Kim Bassos-Hull, MS

Do major ecological disturbances impact residentdolphin populations? The Sarasota Dolphin Research Programwas in a unique position to evaluate this question as bothHurricane Charley in August 2004 and a severe red tide in 2005impacted Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Thesecombined events may have affected habitat health, includingprey fish availability, in ways that could have short or long-term implications for the bottlenose dolphins that use thisestuary. The SDRP has been working with the dolphinpopulation in these areas since its start in 1970, withphotographic identifications since 1982, and baseline data ondolphin abundance, reproductive rates, distribution, and sitefidelity from intensive seasonal surveys immediately prior tothe 2004 hurricane. Knowledge of the status of the dolphinpopulation units inhabiting Charlotte Harbor and Pine IslandSound is important for protecting dolphin stocks in the area,and follow-up surveys would provide a unique opportunityto investigate the adaptability of these animals to large scaledisturbances.

With funding from Harbor Branch OceanographicInstitution’s “Protect Wild Dolphins” program, we were ableto conduct a comprehensive, multi-week, photographic-identification survey in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Soundin September 2006, at the same scale as our 2001-2003September surveys. This allowed us to examine trends inabundance, distribution and reproductive rates pre-and post-Hurricane Charley. These surveys also allowed us to gatheradditional sighting information on distinctively markedindividuals to examine long-term and seasonal site fidelity andreproductive status of females.

Hurricane Charley devastated the shoreline,terrestrial flora, and man-made structures along its path throughCharlotte Harbor. However, two years later, and one year aftera major red tide event, we found no indications of impacts onthe resident dolphins. The 2006 abundance estimate waswithin 10% of the range of abundance estimates from previous

years, by all measures. Similarly, reproductive rates were withinthe previously-documented range for the area. Of the 206identifiable dolphins seen 10 or more times, 94% were found inthe same region of Charlotte Harbor two years after the stormas before. The level of resilience documented for the CharlotteHarbor dolphins provides important perspective for evaluatingthe threats to dolphin populations from a variety of naturaland anthropogenic sources. Many additional funding sourcescontributed to this project and the earlier surveys, including:Mote Scientific Foundation, the Chicago Zoological Society,Mote Marine Laboratory, NOAA’s Fisheries Service, DolphinBiology Research Institute, and Earthwatch Institute.

Mangrove damage from Hurricane Charley inAugust 2004 is still evident on Cayo Costa inMarch 2007, two and a half years later.

“SPKY” has been observed in Pine IslandSound 16 times between 1996 and 2007, bothbefore and after Hurricane Charley.


January 2008 23

Abundance, site-fidelity, and habitat utilizationpatterns of bottlenose dolphins near a NationalPriority List polluted site and an adjacentreference site in GeorgiaBy Brian Balmer, MS, PhD student, University ofNorth Carolina, Wilmington

This project is part of a larger research effort by NOAAto assess the health and contaminant exposure of bottlenosedolphins, an apex predator and sentinel species for ecosystemhealth, at a National Priority List (NPL) polluted site in Brunswick,Georgia [Turtle/Brunswick River estuary (TBRE)] and a nearby,relatively pristine, reference site [Sapelo Island National EstuarineResearch Reserve (SINERR)] (Figure 1).

The TBRE encompasses the Turtle and BrunswickRivers, Blythe Island State Park, St. Simons Sound, St. SimonsIsland, Jekyll Island, and the city of Brunswick. LCP Chemicallocated on the west side of Brunswick, is classified as anEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Site that iscurrently on the NPL. Additionally, there are several other wastesites in the vicinity of the LCP site for which EPA and the State ofGeorgia are conducting remediation.

Figure 1. Georgia study area, including both fieldsites; Brunswick (TBRE) and Sapelo (SINEER).

“X14” (2001) and “X16” (2002), the first two catalogeddolphins in the St. Joseph Bay project in April 2004.

As a result of two NOAA-sponsored bottlenose dolphinhealth assessments (April 2005, July 2006), 23 dolphins wereradio-tagged and monitored for up to three months. Dolphinstagged in spring 2005 displayed variable utilization areas andvariable site-fidelity patterns. In contrast, during summer 2006,the majority of radio tagged individuals displayed similarutilization areas and moderate to high site-fidelity patterns. Theseresults suggest that during the summer, St. Joseph Bay hostsdolphins that spend most of their time within this region. Inspring, St. Joseph Bay is visited by dolphins that range outsideof this area.

These results suggest that the impacts of UMEs in theSt. Joseph Bay region will vary by season. During spring or falla UME will likely affect both those dolphins with high site-fidelityindices, as well as dolphins moving into or through the region,and, thus, may have a wider regional impact. Mortality eventsthat occur during summer and winter will be focused on a smallernumber of individuals that may represent the resident communityof the St. Joseph Bay region. The impacts of past and potentialfuture UMEs in the St. Joseph Bay region likely are affected bythese seasonally variable patterns of habitat utilization.

This research would not have been possible withoutfunding from NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the Disney WildlifeConservation Fund.

In contrast to the TBRE, the SINERR, about 30 kmnortheast of Brunswick, is the fourth largest, and one of themost pristine, barrier island areas along the Georgia coast.Smooth cord grass is the dominant vegetation type throughoutthis region with numerous tidal creeks bisecting the marshand draining into Doboy Sound. The SINERR is part of theNational Estuarine Research Reserve System, and is a focusfor long-term ecological research projects such as water qualitymonitoring, primary productivity assessment, and fisheriesbiology.

This project will evaluate and compare seasonalabundance, site-fidelity, and habitat utilization patterns forbottlenose dolphins across these two adjacent geographicregions. An understanding of dolphin abundance and habitatutilization within these areas is essential to support effectivemanagement, and knowledge of site fidelity and movementpatterns of dolphins between the two areas is critical foraccurate interpretation of health data. Intensive seasonalphotographic mark-recapture surveys will be used to determinedolphin abundance in both regions. Comparing sightinghistories for all identified individuals will provide site-fidelityindices (i.e. amount of time dolphins are spending within eachof the two areas. Environmental data (i.e. salinity, temperature,water depth, velocity, turbidity, bottom habitat type, tidal state,and chlorophyll a) in relation to dolphin, and perhaps dolphinprey, distribution, will be used to assess dolphin habitatpreferences within and between the two regions. Further, thisresearch will enhance current knowledge of coastal bottlenosedolphin population structure along the east coast of the U.S.The first mark-recapture surveys for this project will begin inFebruary 2008.

This research would not be possible without fundingfrom NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the Georgia Departmentof Natural Resources.


24 January 2008

DOLPHIN RESCUES, RELEASES, AND FOLLOW-UP MONITORING

Rescue, rehabilitation, release, and follow-up monitoring of bottlenose dolphin “Filly”By Randall Wells, PhD

A young (1.5 years old) female calf (“Filly”) of adolphin known from our research efforts in waters to the southof Sarasota Bay, was observed near Mote Marine Lab withhealed boat propeller wounds on her caudal peduncle (tailstock) and monofilament fishing line trailing from one of thewounds at the insertion of her flukes on 12 December 2006.She re-appeared 5 weeks later, and after subsequentobservations indicated that she was unable to shed the lineon her own (Figure 1), we performed a rescue capture on 30January 2007. Upon examination, it was determined that theline was too deeply embedded for field treatment, and she wasadmitted to Mote Marine Laboratory’s dolphin hospital. Threeconstricting wraps of monofilament line down to the level ofthe bone were removed in two surgeries, and she was releasedin good health after three months of rehabilitation. She wasfreezebranded and tracked via small VHF radio transmitter over

Figure 1. “Filly” with line trailing from multipleconstrictive wraps of line at the insertion of her flukes.

Figure 2. Sightings of “Filly”, before and aftertreatment for her fishing line injuries.

Field disentanglement of “FB28”By Aaron Barleycorn, BS

On 22 June 2007, “FB28”, a 42-year-old male SarasotaBay resident dolphin first identified in the 1970’s, was seenentangled in monofilament fishing line. Photos revealed theline was tightly wrapped three times from the leading edge ofthe dorsal fin to its tail fluke. “FB28” also suffers from acondition called lobomycosis, a fungal infection causing largewhite lesions to protrude from the skin. The fishing lineappeared to be caught on some of the lesions and wasbeginning to cut into the dorsal fin, as well as pull on the fluke(Figure 1). The dolphin was observed with this entanglementfive times through early July. The tension on the fluke wasconsidered a serious threat to the life of the dolphin, and arescue effort was planned.

On 6 July a rescue team was able to cut the line justbehind “FB28’s” dorsal fin using an extendable cutting toolwhile the dolphin swam freely. This removed the tension butthe dolphin evaded attempts to approach again and removethe line entirely. Since the rescue, “FB28” has been seen eighttimes. Follow up observations have shown no line on “FB28’s”dorsal fin and a small amount of line trailing from the fluke.However on two occasions several months later, “FB28” wasseen cooperatively “fish-whacking” with “FB48”, the oldest

Figure 1. “FB28” with monofilament line cutting intohis dorsal fin and leading to his fluke.

known male in the area. Fish-whacking is a foraging behaviorthat involves striking a fish with a rapid movement of thefluke, sometimes sending the fish into the air. It could not bedetermined if any line remained on the fluke, but it isencouraging that he can still use his fluke so actively.

Finding “FB28” for the disentanglement, as well asfor follow up monitoring, involved the efforts our Earthwatchsurvey teams, staff, interns, and graduate students. Fundingfor rescue efforts was provided by NOAA’s Fisheries Service.

the next month, and then disappeared unexpectedly. Acombination of factors, including her extreme young age (1year) at the time of premature separation from her mother (motherremained in the area, but not with Filly), loss of high frequencyhearing, and a tendency to swim in areas of recreational fishingas indicated by small pieces of line collected on her radiotransmitter, may have contributed to her disappearance andprobable death.

January 2008 25

Follow-up tracking of rehabilitated Risso’s dolphin “Betty”By Randall Wells, PhD

Figure 1.“Betty” andson “Big Al” atMote’s dolphinhospital.

Figure 2. Satellite-linked transmitter on“Betty’s” dorsal fin. Figure 3. “Betty’s” track since release on 27 September 2007.

Update on “Scrappy,” rescued in 2006 from a poor apparel choiceBy Jason Allen, BS

A mass stranding on 5 May 2007 involved twomother-calf pairs of Risso’s dolphins coming ashore near BonitaBeach, Lee County, Florida. Both pairs were transported toMote’s dolphin hospital, where one pair died, but the otherpair was successfully rehabilitated (Figure 1). The survivingmother, “Betty”, was admitted with septicemia caused by a

Last year we reported on the rescue of “Scrappy”, aneight-year-old Sarasota Bay resident dolphin which wasentangled in a men’s Speedo bathing suit. He was firstobserved with material tightly draped over his back on 6 July2006. On 3 August 2006, our rescue team captured “Scrappy”,removed the material, evaluated and treated his wounds, andreturned him to the wild.

Since “Scrappy’s” rescue, he has been observed 42times, apparently without any log-term effects from his poorapparel choice. He has been observed feeding, traveling andsocializing with other dolphins, generally in the deeper watersof Sarasota Bay that he inhabited before his entanglement.His respiration and diving behavior seem normal and his bodycondition appears satisfactory. Unfortunately, we have nothad any direct observation of the wounds on his pectoral fins,but can assume from behavioral observations that they havenot significantly hindered his ability to forage, interact withother dolphins, or avoid predators. Support for rescueoperations has been provided by NOAA’s Fisheries Service.

Figure 1. “Scrappy” from a sighting on 31 October 2006,almost three months after his rescue. The superficial teethscratches (or “rake marks”) on his body are normal andprobably occurred while he was socializing with otherdolphins.

very drug-resistant bacterium and internal abscesses thatrequired a long course of treatment. The calf, “Big Al”, wasthought to be only several weeks old at the time of stranding.He appeared healthy initially, but soon developed an infection.Both dolphins eventually responded to treatment, and on 27September 2007 they were transported aboard the yacht“Tomcat” about 100 nautical miles southwest of Sarasota. “Betty” was tagged with a satellite-linked transmitter for remote

tracking and collection of dive data (Figure 2), and both werereleased together over the edge of the continental shelf. Sincerelease, “Betty” has covered much of the Gulf of Mexico,mostly remaining near the continental shelf edge and slope(Figure 3), in habitats of the kinds known to be used by Risso’sdolphins. Much like “Clyde”, the adult male Risso’s dolphintracked following rehabilitation and release in 2006, “Betty”spends most of her time in waters less than 50 m deep, but shemakes occasional dives to 600-800 m, and can remain on a divefor 11-15 minutes.

DOLPHIN RESCUES, RELEASES, AND FOLLOW-UP MONITORING

26 January 2008

INVOLVEMENT IN OTHER MARINE MAMMAL CONSERVATIONAND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Tagging and tracking of Franciscana dolphins in Argentina: Year 3By Randall Wells, PhD, and Pablo Bordino, MS

Franciscana dolphins, a species of small dolphinfound only in the coastal waters of Argentina, Uruguay, andBrazil, continue to be killed in large numbers in artisanal fishingnets. Little is known about their biology and behavior, beyondwhat has been gleaned from fishing bycatch. In 2005, followingseveral training sessions for Argentine researchers in SarasotaBay, Pablo Bordino of AquaMarina and Wildlife Trust initiateda collaborative field project with the Sarasota Dolphin ResearchProgram and Disney’s Animal Programs to begin to study theranging patterns of these tiny dolphins in the waters of BahiaSamborombon, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Theresearch team, composed primarily of Argentine researchers,students, and veterinarians, attached small VHF transmittersto the dorsal fins of three dolphins – the first time this specieshad ever been tagged. Tracking from a lighthouse and othershore vantage points suggested that the dolphins were muchmore localized in their movements than had been thoughtpreviously, but the location data from primarily shore-basedtracking were very imprecise.

In 2006, we built upon this pilot study by using smallsatellite-linked tags to provide more precise locationinformation, over a longer period of time. Four dolphins weretagged in Bahia Samborombon, and they were tracked overperiods ranging from one week to 261 days. The satellite-linked tracking confirmed the patterns suggested from 2005,with all four dolphins remaining within an area of less thanabout 25 km distance from the capture-release sites.

In March 2007, we moved our operations severalhundred km to the south, to Bahia San Blas, in northernPatagonia (Figure 1). We tagged another four franciscanadolphins (Figure 2) with satellite-linked transmitters, andtracked them for periods as long as six months. The San Blasdolphins showed the same degree of site fidelity as theSamborombon dolphins, moving from inside the bay to watersimmediately outside, and returning (Figure 3). They alsoshowed the same significant tidally-related movement patterns,being found farther inside the bay on high tides, and towardsthe mouth or outside on low tides.

Figure 1. Three franciscana dolphins surfacein Bahia San Blas in March 2007.

Figure 2. Franciscana dolphin “Marta”during tagging in March 2007.

Figure 3. Positions of franciscana dolphin “Yaana”over six months of satellite-linked tracking.

Such a high degree of site fidelity at multiple sitesalong the Argentine coast, consistent with the findings fromongoing genetic research by PhD student Martin Mendez,should provide important guidance to Argentine wildlifemanagers as they determine how best to protect this species –it is a very different picture from the original managementscheme of wide-ranging movements along the entire coast ofthe country.

Funding from Disney will support additional taggingin Bahia San Blas in 2008, this time with satellite-linkedtransmitters with time-depth recorders that will allow us tolearn more about how the dolphins use the water column, andto determine if fishing nets set at specific depths might bemore likely to entangle the dolphins.

January 2008 27

Gannon and Wells participate in NOAA/NMFSTake Reduction TeamsBy Damon Gannon, PhD

The goal of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Actis to reduce incidental mortality and serious injury of marinemammals in commercial fisheries to “insignificant levelsapproaching zero.” NOAA’s Fisheries Service (NMFS), partof the Department of Commerce, convenes Take ReductionTeams (TRTs) for marine mammal stocks subjected to incidental“takes” in fisheries. TRTs are composed of experts andstakeholders—representatives from the fishing industry,environmental organizations, government agencies, and thescientific community—who work collaboratively to developstrategies for reducing bycatch of marine mammals. DamonGannon and Randall Wells served during 2007 as scientificrepresentatives to three TRTs. Wells served on the BottlenoseDolphin Take Reduction Team, while Gannon is on the PelagicLongline Take Reduction Team and the Atlantic Trawl GearTake Reduction Team. The Pelagic Longline and Trawl Gearteams have both been convened to develop plans for reducingthe unintended catch of pilot whales. NMFS published theBottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan in 2006. The PelagicLongline TRT released a Draft Take Reduction Plan in May2006, which should be released in final form by the end of2007. The Longline Take Reduction Plan focuses on modifyingfishing practices, improving handling and release procedureswhen marine mammals become entangled in fishing gear, andincreasing research efforts to get a better understanding ofthe scope and nature of the bycatch problem in that fishery.The Atlantic Trawl Gear TRT has met twice and is still workingon developing a consensus Take Reduction Plan, a draft ofwhich will be released for public comment. Once the TakeReduction Plans go into effect, the TRTs meet periodically toassess whether the plan is working satisfactorily and to makeany changes that may become necessary as situations suchas fisheries change or new information becomes available.

The Entanglement Working Group (EWG) for theState of Florida is focused on marine wildlife entanglementissues and ways to reduce marine debris in the environment.One of the primary programs supported by the EWG is theMonofilament Recovery & Recycling Program (MRRP) whichis a statewide effort to educate the public on the problemscaused by monofilament line left in the environment, toencourage recycling through a network of line recycling binsand drop-off locations, and to conduct volunteer monofilamentline cleanup events (see www.fishinglinerecycling.org).

The EWG was originally established to deal withentanglements of manatees, but we brought our concernsabout increasing entanglements of dolphins to the EWG in2005, and the SDRP has been a part of the EWG ever since.We are working with other EWG members studying manateesand sea turtles to identify “hot spots” of entanglement in

Entanglement Working Group updateBy Kim Bassos-Hull, MS

Florida. Such information will help counties and managementagencies to promote education, recycling, and cleanup efforts.The EWG and several collaborating organizations includingthe Ocean Conservancy and NOAA’s Fisheries Servicesecured two grants (NOAA Marine Debris Prevention andRemoval Grant and National Fish and Wildlife Federation Grant)to perform clean-up and education projects at several sitesaround the state (see Skyway Fishing Pier survey articleabove).

The EWG shares education and outreach ideasamongst group members. SDRP has piloted two such ideaswith local school groups and family programs at Mote MarineLab: personal-sized fishing line recycling bins (“mini bins”)and “The Entanglement Game.” The “mini-bins” are built fromrecycled tennis ball cans with Velcro© strips that allowsattachment on personal docks, tackle boxes, boats, kayaksetc. and are a temporary receptacle to hold fishing line untilthe angler (or collector) can get to an MRRP bin or box at apier, dock, tackle shop, or marina. “The Entanglement Game”involves elementary school-aged kids who “swim” in an oceanfull of trash and fishing line and then learn how to clean it upand properly recycle it. We have had great feedback duringour pilot outreach efforts and now hope to promote theseideas to other education institutions.

First graders at SouthsideElementary learn what itfeels like to swim in anocean full of trash in “TheEntanglement Game”...

...and then learn howto clean it up andrecycle fishing line.

“Mini-bins” are created fromrecycled tennis ball cans and can beattached on docks, boats, tackleboxes etc. to store pieces of fishingline until they can be recycled.


28 January 2008

Helping to conserve manatees in SouthernMesoamericaBy Ester Quintana-Rizzo, PhD

The Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) continues toexpand its efforts to conserve endangered species. TheAntillean manatee is an endangered species found throughoutthe Caribbean and along the Atlantic coastal waters fromMexico to Brazil. Some of the major threats affecting the speciesinclude illegal hunting, habitat destruction, water pollution,and uncontrolled tourism along coastal areas. In order to helpconserve and better understand the species, 16 people fromresearch institutions, environmental agencies, and localgovernments from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama met inTortuguero, Costa Rica in April 2007, to create a regionalmanatee management plan for Southern Mesoamerica. This isthe first effort initiated by local organizations to conservemanatees at a regional level, although the EnvironmentalProgram of the United Nations (UNEP) has also developed amanagement plan for the 21 countries in which manatees arefound. The meeting was mainly funded by the CriticalPartnership Ecosystem.

CZS supported development of the regional plan forSouthern Mesoamerica by supporting my participation in themeeting. I was one of the authors of the 2007 UNEP plan, andwas invited to present and participate at the meeting.Participants were very involved and excited about thedevelopment of a regional manatee plan. A draft plan wasdeveloped after three days of discussions, including goalsand research activities for the three countries. The documentis currently under review and it is expected to be available tothe public in the spring 2008.

After the meeting, several of us traveled to Panamato test equipment brought from the United States to studymanatees in Southern Mesoamerica. The equipment includeda side-scan sonar, a new technology that is being developedto study manatees inhabiting dark waters. The trip to Panamaalso involved giving talks and having discussions of ideas forfuture manatee research projects including radio tagging, aerialsurveys, and genetic studies.

Figure 1. First day of the manatee meeting inTortuguero, Costa Rica. Representatives fromNicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama are givingthe opening remarks.


This royal tern has captured a fish driven to the surface by a dolphin.

Mother and calf “surfing” a boat wake. Newborns learnvery early in life how to take advantage of pressure waves.

Socializing often involves several dolphins.

White pelicans feed cooperatively; in this case inSarasota Bay the efforts produced a mackerel.

January 2008 29

Education continues to be a major component of SDRP activities, directed toward the general public, students, colleaguesin the United States and abroad, and wildlife management agencies.

Public Education and Outreach: We work to educate the generalpublic regarding bottlenose dolphins and conservation issuesthrough public presentations at Brookfield Zoo, Mote MarineLaboratory, and elsewhere, through articles and interviews, andthrough volunteering opportunities. We also produce books forthe general public and students. One of these, “Dolphins, Whales,and Manatees of Florida: A Guide to Sharing Their Waters,” byJohn Reynolds and Randall Wells, was published in 2003 to fill aniche for teaching people about how to better appreciate and treatmarine mammals in their environment. Another, “Dolphin Man:Exploring the World of Dolphins,” by Laurence Pringle and RandallWells, was published in 2002 to provide middle school studentswith an opportunity to learn about Sarasota Bay’s dolphins andabout one pathway for becoming a marine biologist engaged indolphin biology research and conservation.

Human feeding of wild dolphins is an increasing problemin the southeastern United States, and is likely contributing to theincrease in dolphin deaths from ingestion of, and entanglement in,recreational fishing gear. We are working with NOAA’s FisheriesService, the Dolphin Research Center, Tinsley Advertising of Miami,and Wit Animation of Venice, CA, to develop a 30-second high-definition public service announcement (PSA) that will hopefullydiscourage the public from feeding wild dolphins. The spot depictsa computer-animated dolphin in a rehab setting, along with anassortment of other wild animals that get food from humans: a bear,a raccoon, a squirrel, and a seagull. The dolphin describes how itgot started taking food from people, the risks it faces as a result,and how it needs people to stop feeding it in order to get throughits addiction. Comedian and National Public Radio celebrity PaulaPoundstone is generously contributing the voice of the dolphin.Distribution will include broadcast networks, in-house programmingfor hotels, cruise ships, and other businesses, schools,conservation groups, etc. Production has begun, with an expectedrelease during early 2008. Support for production and distributionof the PSA has been provided by Harbor Branch OceanographicInstitution’s Protect Wild Dolphins Program, NOAA’s FisheriesService, Disney, Sea World-Busch Gardens Conservation Fund,Dolphin Quest, Dolphin Connection, Marineland, Gulf World, andthe U.S. Marine Mammal Commission.

In another effort to address the closely-related issues ofhuman feeding of dolphins and dolphin depredation of fishing gear,we have worked with NOAA’s Fisheries Service and others todevelop a consortium of stakeholders, including representativesof the marine mammal public display industry, angler groups,conservation organizations, research institutions, educators, andothers. The basic idea behind the consortium is to try to create acommon understanding and to develop and disseminate effectiveand consistent messages dealing with these issues. The inauguralmeeting of the group took place at Mote Marine Laboratory on 14November 2007, and was chaired by Randall Wells. Subgroupswere established and sent away with assignments to be completedprior to the next meeting in 2008.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

An Immersion Cinema interactive program, “DolphinBay,” loosely based on our long-term dolphin research andconservation program in Sarasota Bay, is aired during multipledaily showings at Mote Marine Laboratory’s 165-seat theater.Participants are able to investigate realistic threats to bottlenosedolphins in the imaginary bay, and attempt to resolve the threatsfor the animals by applying field research techniques andperforming rescues. The program is designed to entertain as wellas educate young people, especially, about the threats faced bycoastal dolphins, and about the means available to them for makinga positive difference in the dolphins’ lives. It tries to present abalanced selection of realistic alternatives. The consequences ofthe choices made by the participants are shown through modelingof the Dolphin Bay population using the program “Vortex”(developed by the Chicago Zoological Society’s Dr. Robert Lacy),indicating the population size 50 years hence.

Sharing Scientific Findings and Participation on GovernmentPanels: Our efforts to provide information to our colleagues andwildlife management agencies continues, through publication ofnumerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, through invitedpresentations at various scientific conferences and throughparticipation in national/international panels such as the AtlanticScientific Review Group (R. Wells), Take Reduction Teams (D.Gannon, R. Wells), the Working Group on Marine Mammal UnusualMortality Events (R. Wells, chair), the IUCN Cetacean SpecialistGroup (R. Wells), and the IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group(R. Wells).

International Training Opportunities: The SDRP is a componentof the Chicago Zoological Society’s Conservation, Education, andTraining Group (CET). As part of the CET program, we providetraining opportunities for scientists and students from outside ofthe United States. These sponsored training opportunities allowforeign scientists to participate in SDRP field and laboratoryresearch activities, and discuss with staff how such activities mightbe applied to their own situations at home. Standardized researchmethodologies facilitate comparisons across research sites. During2007, we hosted three people: Dr. Abdul Wakid of India, AgustinEchezarreta, part of the AquaMarina franciscana dolphin researchteam from Argentina, and Ibiza Martínez-Serrano, a PhD student

Cuban and Mexicanscientists and studentsparticipating in atraining program atIsla Mujeres inSeptember 2007.

30 January 2008

Mote high school intern Genny Cassagrande photographs adolphin while interns Hannah Conlisk and Marina Knappwatch out for dolphins and passing boats near downtownSarasota, 1 December 2007.

from Mexico. Each of the 2007 participants describe theirexperiences below. Support for this program was provided byDolphin Quest and private donations.

We continue to be involved in a joint effort with MoteMarine Laboratory’s Shark Research Center to provide fieldtraining for scientists with the University of Havana. Thisprogram acknowledges the importance of Cuba as one of onlythree countries surrounding the Gulf of Mexico, and the needto work with Cuban scientists to better understand thebiodiversity of the Gulf, and the status of its biota. To thisend, we have developed a plan for training Cuban scientists infield research techniques that have proved effective elsewherein the Gulf of Mexico with regards to studying sharks anddolphins. Long delayed by political obstacles, a first step wasaccomplished in September with the completion of a course inIsla Mujeres, Mexico, attended by both Cuban and Mexicanscientists and students. The next step, involving surveys ofthe waters off the north coast of Cuba in October, was delayeddue to mechanical difficulties with the Cuban vessel. Supportfor this program, administered through Mote MarineLaboratory, is provided by the Reynolds Foundation.

Graduate Students: As described throughout this newsletter,graduate students come to our program from a variety ofinstitutions, especially through the University of California atSanta Cruz, the University of South Florida, and the Universityof North Carolina at Wilmington, to conduct their thesis ordissertation research. To date, 19 doctoral dissertation and 24master’s thesis projects have been conducted in associationwith our program. During 2007, two master’s students (BrianBalmer and Virginia Fuhs) and one doctoral student (VictoriaThayer) successfully defended theses or dissertations whichwere based at least in part on data, samples, or guidance fromthe Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Currently, eightdoctoral students and two master’s students are conductingwork in association with our program.

Undergraduate College Internships: At the college level, weare fortunate to have access through Mote Marine Laboratoryto high quality, dedicated undergraduate student interns whovolunteer with our program for at least 3 months at a time (formore information on internships, please contact Jason Allen,SDRP Lab Manager, at: [email protected]). During 2007, 32interns participated in this program, contributing more than15,000 volunteer hours to our program.

High School Programs: SDRP is excited to introduce a newjoint project with Mote’s Education Program that encompassesboth research and education. In response to increasingconcerns about dolphin interactions with anglers and boats,SDRP staff member Kim Bassos-Hull and Mote educators haveinitiated a pilot project involving monitoring of dolphinbehavior in high boat traffic areas of Sarasota Bay by studentsin Mote’s High School Intern Program. The goals of the projectare: 1) to gather, evaluate, and disseminate data on human-dolphin interactions in Sarasota Bay, and 2) to expose highschool students to real-life scientific research and instructthem in field and laboratory research methodologies. Researchquestions include: 1) how often are dolphins observed within100 m of recreational boats, 2) how do dolphin dive patternschange in the presence of boat traffic, 3) are there identifiable“hot spots” of human-dolphin interaction? Based on theirfindings, students will develop an array of audience-appropriate communication strategies to address the negativeaffects these interactions can have on dolphin populations.Students will present their findings at the Annual Conferenceof the Florida Marine Science Educators Association. Thispilot project will serve as a model for collaborative monitoringprograms in other areas where human-dolphin interactionsare on the rise. Support for this project was provided by TheAssociation of Zoo’s and Aquariums (AZA) through theirConservation Endowment Fund, and the Chicago ZoologicalSociety.


Interns Mackenzie Consoerand Brooke Kelly

Intern Catherine Deveaurecords data.

Intern Nicole Kierl collectingfish from a net pen.

Intern Todd Musgrovetakes a break from

radio-tracking.

January 2008 31

SDRP participation in the biennial Society forMarine Mammalogy conferenceBy Janet Gannon, MSNR and Damon Gannon, PhD

SDRP made a strong showing at the 17th BiennialConference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, held in CapeTown, South Africa in December. The conference is animportant forum for marine mammal biology, ecology, andconservation around the world. Of 940 international attendees,about 800 gave talks or presented posters, all of which wereselected on scientific merit. A highlight of the conference wasthe Norris Award for Lifetime Achievement, given to Dr. ToshioKasuya of Japan for his efforts to present solid scientificevidence of Japanese over-harvest of whales and dolphins.With sadness, the scientists also discussed the likely extinctionof the Baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, and the importance ofaction for conservation of other endangered species of marinemammals.

Twelve SDRP presentations included genetics,acoustics, social behavior, strandings, effects of red tide, habitatselection and human impacts on Sarasota Bay bottlenosedolphins, as well as presentations on marine mammals fromArgentina and Colombia. As one of the longest-runninglongitudinal studies of marine mammals, we are able to addressquestions about the biology and ecology of marine mammalsthat cannot be answered by any other program. For example,Vice Admiral Lautenbacher, head of NOAA (the U.S.government agency responsible for managing most of thenation’s marine mammals), gave a plenary speech in which heoutlined the six greatest threats to marine mammals, asperceived by NOAA. Harmful algal blooms were included inthis list and it is worth noting that there were only 3presentations at the conference on the effects of harmful algalblooms on marine mammals, all of which were given by SDRPstaff.

At the Society’s business meeting, SDRP’s RandallWells was recommended by the Board of Directors as one oftwo nominees for President of the Society. The election for atwo-year term will occur in April 2008.

Before the conference, SDRP biologists Damon andJanet Gannon visited Hermanus, on the south coast of Africa,where they saw southern right whale mom-calf pairs lolling inthe surf. They also visited the Atlantic coast of the country,where they were lucky to see Heaviside’s dolphins, Africanpenguins, baboons, and hyrax.

Figure 1. SDRP StaffScientist Dr. DamonGannon at the end of theearth, demonstrating thefar-reaching influence ofthe SDRP!


Want to learn more?The following books on dolphins and manatees, produced byour staff or by colleagues working closely with our program,are currently available. To purchase copies, please stop bythe Brookfield Zoo or Mote Marine Lab gift shops, contactyour local bookseller, or look for them on-line.

Reynolds, John E., III, and Randall S. Wells. 2003. Dol-phins, Whales, and Manatees of Florida: A Guide toSharing Their World. University Press of Florida,Gainesville, FL. 150 pp. ISBN 0-8130-2687-3

Pringle, Laurence and Randall S. Wells. 2002. Dolphin Man:Exploring the World of Dolphins. Boyds Mills Press,Honesdale, PA. 42 pp. ISBN 1-59078-004-3

Reynolds, John E., III, Randall S. Wells, and Samantha D.Eide. 2000. The Bottlenose Dolphin: Biology andConservation. University Press of Florida, Gainesville,FL. 289 pp. ISBN 0-8130-1775-0

Reynolds, John E., III and Sentiel A. Rommel, (eds.). 1999.Biology of Marine Mammals. Smithsonian InstitutionPress, Washington, DC. 578 pp. ISBN 1-56098-375-2

Norris, Kenneth S., Bernd Würsig, Randall S. Wells andMelany Würsig. 1994. The Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin.University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 435 pp.ISBN 0-520-08208-7

Howard, Carol J. 1995. Dolphin Chronicles. Bantam Books,New York, NY. 304 pp.ISBN 0-553-37778-7

32 January 2008

Conservation research training for anIndian scientistBy Abdul Wakid, PhD

The Brahmaputra River system within India is one ofthe major habitats of the Gangetic dolphin (Platanistagangetica gangetica), which is an endangered species offreshwater dolphin found in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.Due to various anthropogenic pressures, the species has beendeclining at a rapid rate over the past two decades, to only afew hundred individuals today. With an aim to reduce this rateof decline, the Gangetic Dolphin Research and ConservationProgramme of Aaranyak has been working systematically onthe conservation issues in this habitat from 2004 onwards,and I have been leading the programme from its inception.

My experience on the Gangetic dolphin over the pastseveral years has led me to understand that to develop ourresearch-based conservation initiatives, it is essential to learnthe latest research techniques from highly professional dolphinresearch groups. To this end, I was able to work with theSDRP from10 July until 5 September 2007.

Within this two-month period, I worked with sevendifferent research projects: juvenile study, depredation study,biopsy darting, prey-base study (purse seining), dolphinmonitoring, necropsy, and acoustics. Besides the SDRPscientists, I also worked with colleagues from Argentina,Mexico, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, USA, UK, andJapan on different aspects of dolphin research andconservation. With an extension of the training, I also got theopportunity to work with the University of South Florida (Dr.David Mann) and the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund.

The whole experience in SDRP was wonderful andvery effective for me. The professionalism, management andthe hospitality of the staff and biologists of the SDRP are veryimpressive. All the new techniques that I learned with theresearchers of the SDRP are new and promising for me, andsome are likely to be effective in Gangetic dolphin researchand conservation in India.

From franciscanas to bottlenose dolphinsBy Agustin Echezarreta, AquaMarina, Argentina

I come fromArgentina, where dolphinsare mostly found in watersvery different from the warmand clear seas seen indocumentaries or Sarasota.Within our cold and turbidcoastal waters lives a smalland threatened species, thefranciscana dolphin.

I am a member ofAquaMarina, anArgentinean NGO directedby Pablo Bordino, who hasbeen working on theconservation of marinebiodiversity for the past 10

years. One of the goals of AquaMarina is to focus on theconservation of franciscana dolphins, working in associationwith local communities and artisanal fishermen to reduce theincidental by-catch of franciscana dolphins in gillnets.Different techniques have been developed and tested,including acoustic alarms or alternative fishing gear like hand-lines. Other research activities, such as abundance estimation,necropsies, and mortality estimation, are conducted every year.During the past three years, radio and satellite tags wereattached to franciscana dolphins in different bays of BuenosAires province in order to know more about their utilizationarea and movement patterns. This work in Argentina was madepossible thanks to the capture-release, tagging, and trackingtechnical support provided by the SDRP and Disney.

Two hours after arriving in Sarasota I was on boardwith a crew motoring through clear water, and fifteen minuteslater I was watching bottlenose dolphins and manatees for myfirst time. For three months I have been living my dream, workingin the field with wild dolphins. The SDRP, in the context oftheir International Training Program, invited a member fromthe Franciscana Dolphin Project to work in various projects ofthe program. In the first month working at their facilities atMote, I helped with each of the different projects and learnedmany things about birds, fisheries, dolphin behavior, etc. Butin the last two months I was trained in photo-identificationtechniques. We will start working with this tool soon toimprove the research process on the South Atlantic bottlenosedolphin population in my country, and see if it possible to beused with the franciscana dolphins. This technique will allowus to know more about this amazing animal. I feel very luckybecause is not easy to have this kind of experience in mycountry and I am so grateful to the excellent SDRP team whoinspired and taught me so many things, and more important,showed me all the many things I need to learn and go throughto do similar work in my country.

VOLUNTEER PERSPECTIVES

Dr. Abdul Wakid (front left), intern Laura Bagge (frontright), intern Mackenzie Consoer (back left) and graduatestudent Katie McHugh (back right).

A day in the life of a college internBy Elly Roland, BS

Work starts at the crack of dawn (which for a collegestudent is defined: before noon). We arrive at the lab andcheck in, also seeing if the weather is good enough to go out.Then we prepare and check that all the necessary gear is ready:GPS (with batteries), water cooler, data sheets in the data cooler,and other things such as radio tracking gear. With our skipper,we head down to the boat, get everything loaded, and thenour day really starts.

On the dolphin behavior boats we begin byanchoring in the sailing squadron and estimating how far awayboats are. We start off horribly wrong all the time but by theend of a season we are only horribly wrong occasionally. Thenwe commence the work of driving around and looking fordolphins. This part can take a while. When we see dolphinswe stop and take some data and some pictures and figure outwho the dolphins are. By the end of the season the internseven know a few animals like Riptorn and Killer. If we see adolphin our skipper (the researcher, often a graduate student)is studying, then we will get out other data sheets and prepareto follow that dolphin. At first it is frantic trying to get down allthe data and the confusion of the skipper/researcher callingout multiple sets of data at once. Soon we get the hang ofthings and have time to look at the dolphins as well. We alsohave time to observe the antics of other boats on the waterreacting to us and the dolphins. The most common reaction isthat a boat comes by, takes pictures, and possibly asks uswhat we are doing before moving on. Sometimes the boatershave more interesting questions for us. Once when followingan animal that was part of a socializing group we heard a boaterask (though not of us) “Do they have beer under the boat?”Our skipper explained our research to them, as we always dowhen asked. At the end of our day we return, clean the boatand gear, and then download the data to the computer so wecan do it all again the next day. Some days we do other things. On those bad weatherdays when we cannot get out on the water there are plenty oflab tasks to learn and complete such as: Photo-Id, data entryin Access, and working with GIS, a mapping program. Fieldwork is not all fun and games with (non-alcoholic) dolphins,there are also fun and games with fish and birds. The bird

boat, which looks for seabirds, gets up even earlier than thedolphin boat, but they get in earlier too. The fishingboat, uses a purse seine to collect dolphin preyfish. After catching the fish, we count and measurethem, and have a lot of “fun” trying to hold on toslippery squirming fish, before returning them totheir home. My dolphin interests have varied fromsocial communication to the hormones of stress,and the staff at SDRP have helped me find theresources and connections to pursue it all. I wantto thank them for all the help and advice that theyhave given me.

January 2008 33

Bottlenose dolphins on both sides of theGulf of MexicoBy Ibiza Martínez-Serrano, PhD student,Universidad Veracruzana

I’m a PhD student, conducting research aboutdistribution and movement patterns of bottlenose dolphinsnear Veracruz, México. My research project is part of a biggerone, with the goal of monitoring marine ecosystem health,studying dolphins as biological indicators. This big project isthe first effort involving systematic research with marinemammals in the northern Veracruz region, and it has been agreat opportunity to generate data from Mexican populationsof bottlenose dolphins.

When I was first told about doing an internship, Iwished to do it in the best place I could. During the secondyear of my dissertation research, my advisor asked me aboutwhere I would like to do my internship… I had read about theSarasota Dolphin Research Program and I thought it would bea great opportunity for me to learn directly from the world’slongest-running wild dolphin research program…and the wishcame true…

I spent two months in Sarasota, working as an internon different research projects. I participated in the SarasotaBay surveys, learning how to take field data, how to recognizethe dolphins’ activities, to take useful pictures for photo-idpurposes, and even to drive the boat in order to approachthem correctly. I learned enough to be able to recognize somedolphins in the field, and that was very exciting! I also workedin the laboratory, working with the sighting and photo-iddatabases. I was trained in the photo-identification process,and I learned how to build and manage a photographiccatalogue. I received training both in field and lab phases, in avery comprehensive manner, so, at the end I was able to realizeand to learn first hand how the dolphins use Sarasota Bay,how they form groups and pair bonds, and how they behaveand adapt their lives to the changing environment.

During my stay, I found not only excellent training tostudy dolphins in the wild, but also, friends, kind and warmpeople who always were ready to explain and to teach medifferent things every day. All of these things will be useful forme as I apply them in my research program in Mexico andteach other Mexican students. I feel very fortunate and I’mvery grateful to theChicago Zoological Society, MoteMarine Laboratory, and allthe SDRP staff for thisopportunity to improve theresearch about marinemammals in countries likemine. I’m sure that theconservation efforts arestronger when people worktogether as a team.


Interns Ibiza Martinez-Serrano, AgustinEschezarreta and Elly Roland (back)

The joys of field researchBy Bill Scott, FM, long-time SDRP volunteer

Lightning had struckthe radar at Buenos Airesairport so all flights were beinghandled manually. We sataround for five hours or sowatching the departure noticescreen change from onebewildering message toanother until it said board forthe flight to Viedma. Shortlyafter take off there was aresounding bang, followed bythe smell of burning and an

announcement to fasten seat belts. Since we had just takenoff and had our seat belts on, the combined effect of this wassilence, nervous glances, thumping hearts and lots ofgrimacing as people attempted to keep their sphincters undercontrol. Some hardy souls were pointing cameras out of thewindow trying to get pictures of the blood left by the big birdthat had just rendered the port engine with somewhatdiminished function. This was not the first time that anArgentine bird had tried to kill me – but that’s another story.

After a nervous return to Buenos Aires we wereinformed that our choices were – wait two days or fly to BahiaBlanca and catch a specially arranged bus. We chose the latter.Arriving at Bahia Blanca at midnight we were loaded on to a30-40 year old Mercedes bus that as far as we could tell had nodiscernable braking system and a suspension that at about35-40 mph resulted in the thing rocking from side to side atinteresting angles. Quite soothing to the rattled traveler youmight think until one noticed the road was quite narrow andhuge trucks were hurtling in the other direction – passingwithin inches of the bus. After four and a half hours (supposedto be three) we arrived at Viedma to find Pablo, his friend Tonyand some park rangers waiting for us. Above and beyond thecall I have to say as it was approaching dawn. Bags werethrown into the various vehicles. The driver of the vehicle Iwas in thought all the others following were “soft” for notkeeping up with us but I do not recall who drove it. We chargedoff down the road to Bahia San Blas – population 600. Most ofthe journey was on unlit dirt roads at speeds ranging up to100kph. All-in-all an interesting journey.

Hotel Pueblo Viejo – built in 1897 and still mostly un-modernized – was our base. It had no potable water, roof leaks,and a wind generated water pump that had not been oiled in awhile. It turned out to be run by a truly great couple. Olga andTom made a great fuss of us and the food was terrific - waybetter than expected. Except that is for one or two folks whoturned decidedly green after being informed one evening thatthe meal we had just eaten was “rodent”. Actually it was akind of rabbit but it made a great story at the time.

Pablo forgot to mention before we went down toArgentina that San Blas is world renowned for really bigsharks. We saw real evidence of this one afternoon when some

34 January 2008

local fishermen were posing next to their 9 foot catch-of-the-day!! Knowing this did wonders for bladder control and veryfew went swimming.

Hotel Pueblo Viejo was a palace compared to thecoastguard station where all the female Argentine studentsand volunteers stayed. 12 of them slept on ratty mattressesarranged around the pool table in the coastguard recreationspace. On top of that it was the place where we all hung outwhen it was too windy to get out on the water. Just to top it offthere was one bathroom with no hot water. The guys all sleptin Tony’s 35 year old bus that he has converted to a camper.They really are truly great people and unbelievably dedicated.

OH YES. We managed to successfully tag fourfranciscana dolphins and thereby add more data to the project,while spending more time with some wonderful people whoare fast becoming my heroes!


Argentine colleaguesfrom AquaMarinaprepare to release atagged franciscanadolphin in Bahia SanBlas in March 2007.

Members of the "gringo"team assisting Argentinecolleagues with taggingfranciscana dolphins withsatellite-linked transmitters:(from left to right) JasonAllen, Bill Scott, AaronBarleycorn, James Thorson,and Brian Balmer (kneeling).

Bill Scott assistsArgentinecolleagues with therelease of taggedfranciscanadolphins in BahiaSan Blas.

January 2008 35

SARASOTA DOLPHIN RESEARCH PROGRAM OPERATIONS

SDRP database statusBy Janet Gannon, MSNR

SDRP sample archivesBy Brian BalmerMS, Aaron BarleycornBS, and Robin Perrtree BSArchived tissue samples can be veryimportant for retrospective studies ofemerging diseases or for tracking theoccurrence of diseases or concentrationsof environmental contaminants over time.Our inventory shows that we currently havemore than 4,800 tissue samples archived atMote Marine Laboratory (n = 4,349) andBrookfield Zoo (n = 477). These samples,including whole blood, serum, plasma, milk,urine, blubber, skin, gastric, feces, andparasites, have been collected from 1988 tothe present. Most of the samples arepreserved in ultracold freezers. Theseprecious and unique samples from ourhealth assessments and from strandeddolphins are provided to collaboratinginvestigators for specific research projects.Most recently, samples have been providedfor investigations of morbillivirus,biotoxins in dolphins, trophic studies,immunological analyses, environmentalcontaminant measurements, geneticstudies, and milk composition analyses.

SDRP field and laboratorymethods available on-lineBy SDRP Staff and StudentsOur program’s “Manual for Field Researchand Laboratory Activities” is nowavailable as a downloadable pdf file at ourwebsite, www.sarasotadolphin.org. This62-page document provides detaileddocumentation of the protocols used forfield operations and data processing. Itincludes chapters on: 1) Field surveyprotocols, 2) Post-survey lab protocols, 3)Photo-identification protocols, 4) Databaseentry, verification, and management, and5) SDRP operations protocols. Theaccessibility of these protocols tocolleagues and students promotes andfacilitates standardization ofmethodologies across research sites, andprovides incoming students and internswith background materials prior to theirarrival. This is considered to be a “livingdocument” that will be constantly evolvingas we improve and refine our approaches.

The SDRP database is going strong! We’ve had avery busy year in the field, which means manynew additions to the long-term dolphin sightingdatabase. For every day we spend collecting dataon dolphins in Sarasota Bay and the surroundingwaters, we spend even more entering data,verifying them, and analyzing them.

Our database is carefully designed to ensure dataintegrity while allowing researchers to access,manipulate and analyze data. We maintain a “frontend-back end” arrangement for this database,keeping our valuable verified data on a server andaccessing it through interfaces on eachworkstation. Because we have designed thedatabase with built-in analyses, we can quicklyanswer questions about the bottlenose dolphinsof the central west coast of Florida. The databaseis constantly expanding. We currently have 32,781dolphin group encounters (sightings) entered intothe database (and double-checked, as the internswould be quick to point out). Our identificationcatalog contains 5,777 images of 3,499 distinctivelymarked individuals plus some of their calves. Thedatabase provides 92,541 identifications of theseindividuals from 1975 through mid-2007.

SDRP personnel during 2007StaffRandall S. Wells, PhD, Program ManagerJason Allen, BS, Lab and Field CoordinatorKim Bassos-Hull, MS, Senior BiologistDamon Gannon, PhD, Staff Scientist, Deputy Program ManagerJanet Gannon, MSNR, Senior BiologistStephanie Nowacek, MS, Research AssociateElizabeth Berens, MS, Staff BiologistBrian Balmer, MS, Research AssociateAaron Barleycorn, BS, Research AssistantRobin Perrtree, BS, Research AssistantSandra Camilleri, BS, Staff BiologistGene Stover, BS, Operations SpecialistMichael Scott, PhD, Secretary-Treasurer, DBRIBlair Irvine, PhD, Vice-President, DBRI

Master’s Students During 2007Brian Balmer, University of North Carolina, WilmingtonVirginia Fuhs, Western Illinois UniversityJessica Powell, University of South FloridaLaura (Monaco) Torelli, Western Illinois University

Doctoral Students During 2007Brian Balmer, University of North Carolina, WilmingtonGlenn Dunshea, University of TasmaniaSalome Dussan-Duque, University of Saint AndrewsDeborah Fauquier, University of California, Santa CruzKatie McHugh, University of California, DavisErin Meagher, University of North Carolina, WilmingtonMartin Mendez, Columbia UniversityPeter Simard, University of South FloridaVicky Thayer, Duke UniversityJennifer Yordy, Medical University of South Carolina

Interns During 2007 (*indicates international interns)Kim AtwaterLaura BaggeGemma BarnacleCaroline Baumgartner*Deanna BeattyNatalya BlumenfeldNicole BrownKristen BurtchStefania Clemente*Ashley CollinsMackenzie Consoer

Volunteer Research Assistants 2007Bill KayserCathy MarineNorma PenningtonSally SengerBill ScottJames ThorsonLorry Stover

Karen CoomerCatherine DeveauAgustin (Carpi) Echezarreta*Rachel EubankAdrienne GeorgeElizabeth (Brooke) KellyNicole KierlGenine LipkeyIbiza Martínez-Serrano*Jordan Matley*Lauren McGuire

Todd MusgroveJessica OwensVictoria PearsonKristal RichardsonElly RolandKatie SchiererChristina TomsDr. Abdul Wakid*Shimpei Yamamoto*Phillip Young

36 January 2008

One accepted measure of the productivity of a research program is its record of achievement in providing information to thescientific community, wildlife management agencies, and the public. The following list includes our program’s products since thepublication of our last newsletter, including the relevant work of our collaborators from partner institutions. Copies of specific paperscan be obtained upon request for the cost of copying and postage, or as electronic pdf files.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles and Book ChaptersBryan C.E., S.J. Christopher, B.C. Balmer, and R.S. Wells. 2007.

Establishing baseline levels of trace elements in blood and skin ofbottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida: implications for non-invasive monitoring. Science of the Total Environment 388:325-342.

Fire, S.E., D. Fauquier, L.J. Flewelling, M. Henry, J. Naar, R. Pierce, andR.S. Wells. 2007. Brevetoxin exposure in bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus) associated with Karenia brevis blooms inSarasota Bay, Florida. Marine Biology 152:827-834.

Gannon, D.P. 2007. Acoustic behavior of Atlantic croaker Micropogoniasundulatus (Sciaenidae). Copeia 2007(1):186–192

Hall, A.J., R.S. Wells, J.C. Sweeney, F.I. Townsend, B.C. Balmer, A.A.Hohn, and H.L. Rhinehart. 2007. Annual, seasonal and individualvariation in hematology and clinical blood chemistry profiles inbottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A 148:266-277.

Klatsky, L.J., R.S. Wells, and J.C. Sweeney. 2007. Offshore bottlenosedolphins (Tursiops truncatus): movement and dive behavior near theBermuda Pedestal. Journal of Mammalogy 88:59-66.

Moore, M.M., G. Early, K. Touhey, S. Barco, F. Gulland, and R. Wells.2007. Rehabilitation of marine mammals in the United States: risksand benefits. Marine Mammal Science 23:731-750.

Westgate, A.J., W.A. McLellan, R.S. Wells, M.D. Scott, E.M. Meagher,and D.A. Pabst. 2007. A new device to remotely measure heat fluxand skin temperature from free-swimming dolphins. Journal ofExperimental Marine Biology and Ecology 346:45-59.

Manuscripts in Press, In Revision, or In ReviewBrueggen, M.K., and D.P. Gannon. In review. Responses of chorusing

male spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) to acoustic cuesassociated with predators. Journal of Fish Biology.

Buckstaff, K.C., R.S. Wells, J.G. Gannon, and D.P. Nowacek. In review.Responses of bottlenose dolphins to construction and demolition ofcoastal marine structures. Aquatic Mammals.

Dunshea, G., N. Barros, R.S. Wells, M. Hindell, N. Gales, and S. Jarman.In review. Pseudogenes and DNA based diet analyses; a cautionarytale from a relatively well sampled predator/prey system.

Dunshea, G. In review. A generic molecular diet assay for Carnivora andOdontoceti mammals and a framework to use similar methods forany predator group.

Gannon, D.P. In press. Passive acoustic techniques in fisheries science: areview and prospectus. Transactions of the American FisheriesSociety.

Gannon, D.P. and J.G. Gannon. In review. Can passive acoustic methodsbe used to assess trends in abundance of soniferous fishes? CanadianJournal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Meagher, E., W.A. McLellan, A. Westgate, R.S. Wells, J. Blum, and D.A.Pabst. In review. Seasonal patterns of heat loss in wild bottlenosedolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B.

Mintzer, V.J., D.P. Gannon, N.B. Barros, and A.J. Read. In press.Stomach contents of mass-stranded short-finned pilot whales(Globicephala macrorhynchus) from North Carolina. MarineMammal Science.

Naar, J.P., L.J. Flewelling, A. Lenzi, J.P. Abbott, A. Granholm, H.M.Jacocks, D.P. Gannon, M. Henry, R. Pierce, D.G. Baden, J. Wolny,and J.H. Landsberg. In press. Brevetoxins, like ciguatoxins, arepotent ichthyotoxic neurotoxins that accumulate in fish. Toxicon.

Remington, N., R.D. Stevens, R.S. Wells, A. Hohn, S. Dhunganae, C.H.Taboye, A.L. Crumblisse, R. Henkins, and C. Bonaventura. Inreview. Genetic diversity of coastal bottlenose dolphins revealed bystructurally and functionally diverse hemoglobins.

Sayigh, L.S., H.C. Esch, R.S. Wells, and V.M. Janik. In press. Facts aboutsignature whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).Animal Behaviour.

Sayigh, L.S. and V.M. Janik. In press. Signature whistles. In: W.F. Perrin,B. Würsig, and J.G.M. Thewissen, eds., Encyclopedia of MarineMammals. Elsevier, Inc., San Diego, CA.

Urian, K.W., S. Hofmann, R.S. Wells, and A.J. Read. In review. Fine-scalepopulation structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in TampaBay, Florida. Marine Mammal Science.

Wells, R.S. In press. Dolphins and porpoises. In: J.H. Steele, S.A. Thorpe, andK.K. Turekian (eds.), Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences – on line. Oxford,UK: Elsevier.

Wells, R.S. In review. Identification methods. In: W.F. Perrin, B. Würsig, andJ.G.M. Thewissen, (eds.), Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Elsevier,Inc., San Diego, CA. Updated from 2002.

Wells, R.S. and M.D. Scott. In review. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiopstruncatus). In: W.F. Perrin, B. Würsig, and J.G.M. Thewissen, (eds.),Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Elsevier, Inc., San Diego, CA.Updated from 2002.

Wells, R.S., C.A. Manire, D. Smith, J.G. Gannon, D. Fauquier, and K.D. Mullin.In revision. Movements and dive patterns of a rehabilitated Risso’sdolphin, Grampus griseus, in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.Marine Mammal Science.

Wilson, J.Y., R.S. Wells, A. Aguilar, A. Borrell, V. Tornero, P. Reijnders, M.Moore, and J.J. Stegeman. In press. Correlates of Cytochrome P450 1A1(CYP1A1) expression in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)integument biopsies. Toxicological Sciences.

Wong, S.K., R. Rivera, C.R. Smith, J.T. Saliki, R.S. Wells, and H. Nollens. Inpress. Evidence of exposure to a novel parainfluenza virus in twobottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations: Clinical implicationsof a common respiratory virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Woshner, V., K. Knott, R.S. Wells, C. Willetto, R. Swor, and T. O’Hara. Inreview. Mercury and selenium in blood and epidermis of bottlenosedolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida (USA): interac-tion and relevance to life history and hematologic parameters. EcoHealth.

Theses and DissertationsDoctoral DissertationsBalmer, B. In progress. Environmental influences on bottlenose dolphin

(Tursiops truncatus) community structure and dynamics in the Southeast-ern United States. University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Dussán-Duque, S. In progress. Biology of coastal tucuxi dolphins off Colombia.University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Fauquier, D. In progress. Effects of red tide on seabird ecology. OceanSciences Dept., University of California, Santa Cruz.

McHugh, K. In progress. Behavior of juvenile bottlenose dolphins in SarasotaBay. Animal Behavior Group, University of California, Davis.

Meagher, E. In progress. Heat flux and thermoregulation of bottlenosedolphins. University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Mendez, M. In progress. Ecological and environmental factors to populationstructure in highly mobile marine organisms: a combined genetic-oceanographic approach in coastal cetaceans. Columbia University.

Simard, P. In progress. The abundance and distribution of cetaceans on the westFlorida shelf: a synoptic study based on acoustics, visual surveys andremote sensing. University of South Florida.

Thayer, V.G. 2007. Life history parameters and social associations of femalebottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off North Carolina, USA. DukeUniversity.

Yordy, J. In progress. Characterization of complex organohalogen mixtures inbottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Medical University of South

Carolina.Master’s ThesesBalmer, B.C. 2007. Seasonal abundance, site-fidelity, and utilization areas of

bottlenose dolphins in St. Joseph Bay, Florida. M.Sc., University of NorthCarolina, Wilmington.

Fuhs, V.S. 2007. Spatial relationships of spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)mother-calf pairs, Island of Hawaii. M.Sc. thesis. Western IllinoisUniversity. 37 pp.

Monaco, L. In progress. Defining success for cetacean rehabilitation. WesternIllinois University.

Powell, J. In progress. Depredation and fishing interactions involvingbottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida.University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY SUMMARY

January 2008 37

Technical ReportsBassos-Hull, K. and R.S. Wells. 2007. Investigating potential hurricane and

red tide related impacts on bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)abundance, reproductive rates, distribution, and site fidelity inCharlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Final TechnicalReport to Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Protect WildDolphins Program for Award 2006-3. 43 pp.

Fauquier, D.A., L. Flewelling, J. Landsberg, N. Barros, J.G. Gannon and R.S.Wells. 2007. Investigating brevetoxin-induced mortality in bottlenosedolphins stranded in central west Florida. John H. Prescott StrandingGrant Program Final Performance Report for Grant Award #NA06NMF4390161.

Wells, R.S., G.A. Early, J.G. Gannon, R.G. Lingenfelser, and P. Sweeney. Inreview. Tagging and tracking of rough-toothed dolphins (Stenobredanensis) from the March 2005 mass stranding in the FloridaKeys. NOAA Tech. Memo.

Presentations at Professional MeetingsBarros, N.B., J.G. Gannon, and R.S. Wells. 2007. Combining long-term

photo-identification and stranding data from west-central Florida,USA, resident bottlenose dolphins: a synergistic approach withimplications for ecological studies. 17th Biennial Conference on theBiology of Marine Mammals, 29 November – 3 December, CapeTown, South Africa.

Bordino, P., R.S. Wells, and A.M. Stamper. 2007. Site fidelity offranciscana dolphins Pontoporia blainvillei off Argentina. 17th

Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 29November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.

Dunshea, G., S. Jarman, M. Hindell, R.S. Wells, D. Duffield, and N. Gales.2007. Telomeres of cetaceans and pinnipeds: initial experimentalgenomic characterization and examination of age related dynamics.17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 29November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.

Fauquier, D.A., N. Barros, L. Flewelling, V. Socha, R. Pierce, J.G. Gannon,M. Kinsel, M. Stolen, J. Landsberg, and R.S. Wells. 2007. Brevetoxininduced mortality in stranded dolphins from central west Florida during2005 and 2006. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of MarineMammals, 29 November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.

Gannon, J.G., J.B. Allen, D.P. Gannon, E.J. Berens, S.Hofmann, and R.S.Wells. 2007. Effects of harmful algal blooms on bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus): changes in distribution and behavior. 17th


Gannon, D.P., A.S. Friedlaender, J.G. Gannon, E.J. Berens, J.B. Allen, S.Hofmann, and R.S. Wells. 2007. Seeing the forest for the trees:comparing patterns of habitat selection at the level of the populationand of the individual for bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida.17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 29November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.

Gannon, D.P., A.S. Friedlaender, J.G. Gannon, E.J. Berens, J.B. Allen, S.Hofmann, and R.S. Wells. 2007. Seeing the forest for the trees:comparing patterns of habitat selection at the level of the populationand of the individual for bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida.Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium, 16-18March, Beaufort, NC.

Gannon, J.G., R.S. Wells, J.B. Allen, D.P. Gannon, E.J. Berens, and S.Hofmann. 2007. Effects of harmful algal blooms on bottlenosedolphins (Tursiops truncatus): changes in distribution and behavior.Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium, 16-18March, Beaufort, NC.

Gridley, T., N. Quick, L. Sayigh, and V.M. Janik. 2007. Signature whistletype diversity in captive and wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiopstruncatus). 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of MarineMammals, 29 November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.(poster)

Kucklick, J.R., A. Guichard, J. Yordy, J. Litz, R.S. Wells, B. Balmer, A.Hohn, E. Zolman, L. Schwacke, T. Rowles, L. Hansen, C. Berrie, andP. Rosel. 2007. Concentrations and patterns of lipophilic pollutants inbottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as a function of geographicalscale and implications to dolphin health. 27th International Sympo-sium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants. Tokyo, Japan.

Kucklick J.R., A. Guichard, J. Yordy, J. Litz, R.S. Wells, B. Balmer, A.Hohn, E. Zolman, L. Schwacke, T. Rowles, L. Hansen, C. Berrie, andP. Rosel. 2007. Concentrations and patterns of lipophilic pollutantsin bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as a function of geo-graphical scale and implications to dolphin health. 28th AnnualMeeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.Milwaukee, WI, 11-14 November.

Mann, D. A. 2006. Passive Acoustic Sensing. Florida Coastal OceanObserving Systems (COOS) Caucus Meeting, Mote Marine Labora-tory, Sarasota, FL, USA, April 2006.

McHugh, K.A. and R.S. Wells. 2007. Red tide effects on juvenile bottle-nose dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, FL. 44th Annual Meeting ofthe Animal Behavior Society, 21-26 July 2007, Burlington, VT.

McHugh, K.A. and R.S. Wells. 2007. Red tide effects on juvenile bottle-nose dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, FL. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammals Symposium, 16-18 March, Beaufort, NC.

McHugh, K.A., S. Hofmann, J.B. Allen, M.D. Scott, and R.S. Wells. 2007.Factors influencing variation in age at independence for free-rangingbottlenose dolphin calves in Sarasota Bay, Florida. 17th BiennialConference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, 29 November – 3December, Cape Town, South Africa.

Quintana-Rizzo, E. 2007. Manatí Antillano (Trichechus manatus) en elCaribe y métodos de estudio. Primer Taller Trinacional para laConservación del Manatí Antillano. April 16-18, Tortuguero, CostaRica.

Quintana-Rizzo, E., D. Mann and R.S. Wells. 2007. Rango decomunicacion de los sonidos sociales de los delfines nariz debotella (Tursiops truncatus). Tercer Congreso de la ComisiónNacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Converciencia. 24-27 July, Ciudadde Guatemala, Guatemala.

Quintana-Rizzo, E. and R.S. Wells. 2007. The definition of a group inspecies with fluid relationships: the case of the bottlenose dolphin(Tursiops truncatus). 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology ofMarine Mammals, 29 November – 3 December, Cape Town, SouthAfrica. (poster)

Sayigh, L., H.C. Esch, J. Blum, and R. Wells. 2007. Whistles as potentialindicators of stress in bottlenose dolphins. 21st Conference of theEuropean Cetacean Society, San Sebastian, Spain, 23-25 April 2007.(poster)

Sayigh, L.S., R.S. Wells, and V.M. Janik. 2007. Signature whistledevelopment in bottlenose dolphins. 17th Biennial Conference on theBiology of Marine Mammals, 29 November – 3 December, CapeTown, South Africa.

Scott, M.D., R.S. Wells, and A.B. Irvine. 2007. Long-term studies ofbottlenose dolphins: an assessment of costs and benefits. 17th


Simard, P. and D. Mann. 2007. Automatic detection of dolphin vocaliza-tions using DPASS (Dolphin Passive Acoustic Surveillance System).30th International Ethology Conference, Halifax, NS, Canada,August 2007.

Simard, P., R.S. Wells, J.B. Allen, M. Cook, and D. Mann. 2007. Boat-based visual surveys and acoustic detection using manual methods andautomatic recognition software: results from bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota, Florida. 17th Biennial Conference onthe Biology of Marine Mammals, 29 November – 3 December, CapeTown, South Africa.

Wells, R.S. and J.B. Allen. 2007. Consequences of injuries on survival andreproduction of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida. NMFSSerious Injury Technical Workshop, 10-12 September 2007, Seattle,WA.

Wells, R.S., S. Hofmann, J.B. Allen, K.W. Urian, K. Bassos-Hull, S.M.Nowacek, J.G. Gannon, N.B. Barros, D.A. Fauquier, M.D. Scott, andR.C. Lacy. 2007. Impacts of human activities and natural events onthe abundance and vital rates of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay,Florida. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of MarineMammals, 29 November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.

West, K.L., R. Shah, O.T. Oftedal, R.S. Wells, D.P. Costa, and M.B.Kretzmann. 2007. Milk composition and calf growth in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay,Florida. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of MarineMammals, 29 November – 3 December, Cape Town, South Africa.


38 January 2008

Yordy, J., R. S.Wells, A. Guichard, B. Balmer, L. Schwacke, T. Rowles,and J. Kucklick. 2007. Shift of PBDE mixtures within a coastalbottlenose dolphin population in relation to life history anddietary exposure. 28th Annual Meeting of the Society ofEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 11-14 November,Milwaukee, WI,

Invited Public and University LecturesBarros, N.B. 2007. Trophic ecology of bottlenose dolphins from

west Florida: insights from long-term studies. Michigan StateUniversity. Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and BehaviorProgram Seminar Series. 7 November 2007.

Bassos-Hull, K. 2007. Dolphin research along the west coast ofFlorida. Sarasota Scuba Club, Sarasota, FL. 4 October 2007.

Bassos-Hull, K. 2007. Bottlenose dolphin abundance, distribution,seasonal and long-term site fidelity in the Charlotte Harborecosystem. Shell Point Retirement Community, Ft. Myers, FL.13 June 2007.

Bassos-Hull, K. 2007. Bottlenose dolphin abundance, distribution,seasonal and long-term site fidelity in the Charlotte Harborecosystem. Captiva Cruises, Captiva, FL. 16 April 2007.

Bassos-Hull, K. 2007. Bottlenose dolphin abundance, distribution,seasonal and long-term site fidelity in the Charlotte Harborecosystem. Burnt Store Yacht Club, Punta Gorda, FL. 18January 2007.

Gannon, D.P. 2007. Ecological effects of Karenia brevis harmfulalgal blooms on estuarine communities. Florida State Univer-sity.

Gannon, D.P. 2007. Noisy fishes, silent dolphins, and the toxic tidethat plagues them. Mote Marine Laboratory’s ScientificSeminar Series.

Gannon, D.P. and J.G. Gannon. 2007. Effects of Karenia brevisblooms on fishes and bottlenose dolphins. Eckerd College.

Wells, R.S. 2007. The secret life of dolphins. Bedford CourtRetirement Community, Silver Spring, MD. 8 December 2007.

Wells, R.S. 2007. The bottlenose dolphins of Sarasota Bay: lessonsfrom 37 years and 5 generations. Sigma Xi Lecture, EckerdCollege, St. Petersburg, FL. 13 November 2007.

Wells, R.S. 2007. Cetaceans of the Gulf of Mexico: Biology andresearch. Training class for Cuban and Mexican scientists andstudents, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, 14 September 2007.

Wells, R.S. 2007. University of Chicago Field Ecology Course,Sarasota Bay, 24 March 2007.

Wells, R.S. 2007. Wild dolphin societies: a tale of two cetaceans.Whale Quest, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. 17 February 2007.

Wells, R.S. 2007. The bottlenose dolphin community of SarasotaBay: Lessons from 37 years and 5 generations. Siesta KeyChapel. 16 January 2007.


HOW YOU CAN HELP

We need your financial help to continue this important work. Continuity is the essence of a long-term research program.As the federal support that has sustained the program comes to an end, we must rely increasingly on competitive grants andcontributions from donors to keep our program operating. Funding opportunities through competitive grant programs have declinedin recent years, and competition for the few available grants is fierce. Our projected program budget for 2008 is about $1 million,including support for staff and graduate students, facility and administrative costs, boat operations, health assessments, internationaltraining programs, dolphin rescues and follow-up monitoring, field research supplies, and travel to field sites and conferences. Inaddition, we are seeking to establish an endowment of $2,000,000 to ensure the continuity of the most basic monitoring activities ofthe world’s longest-running dolphin research program.

• Annual support for field research expenses for one graduate student = $10,000• Support for franciscana dolphin research in Argentina = $10,000• Replacement 4-stroke outboard engine = $8,000• Support for intern from Argentina to come to Sarasota for training = $5,000• Satellite-linked tag and 6 months of satellite data processing for monitoring a rescued dolphin = $5,000

“Chicago Zoological Society,” Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513, c/o Steve Birkhauser, Director of Major Gifts, Tel:(708) 688-8316, [email protected] – please indicate “Dolphin Conservation Program” on the memo line. In 2007, the numberof supporters who made contributions to the Chicago Zoological Society’s Dolphin Conservation Program doubled. Many wereparticipants in our 2006-2007 Batchelor Challenge, an effort to match the generous funds awarded by the Batchelor Foundation. Inaddition, donors and prospective donors attended the Third Annual Chicago Zoological Society Dolphin Conservation ProgramDinner held at Brookfield Zoo on 8 November 2007. The 60 guests received updates on the research done by the SDRP over the pastyear. Similar events to highlight the program will be held on both Florida’s east and west coasts in early spring 2008.

“Mote Marine Laboratory ,” 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236 c/o Randall Wells, Tel: (941) 388-2705, [email protected]– please indicate “Sarasota Dolphin Research Program” on the memo line.

“Dolphin Biology Research Institute,” 708 Tropical Circle, Sarasota, FL 34242, Tel: (941) 349-3259, [email protected]. DBRIcan accept donations of funds, boats, vehicles, and other field equipment in good condition. DBRI is a Sarasota-based 501{c}3 not-for-profit corporation (IRS-EI#59:2288387); thus donations of funds and/or equipment are tax-deductible (Florida State SolicitationsRegistration No. SC-01172). Our current fleet of active research boats and trucks is composed largely of donated equipment. Fundsfrom sales of such donations go entirely to offset research and education program expenses. During the most recent fiscal year, only1% of funds received by DBRI were spent on fund-raising activities. No salaries are paid by DBRI to any of its Officers or Directors.

If you can help, contributions of funds should be directed to your choice of the following:

Examples of some of the expenses for which we are seeking assistance include:

January 2008 39

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

Special thanks to these contributors and funding organizations (12 December 2006 - 11 December 2007):Edward McCormick Blair, Jr.Rene BryskovVictor and Muff CalderonCannons MarinaDisney’s Animal ProgramsDisney Wildlife Conservation FundDolphin Quest

David E. DonovanEarthwatch InstituteRonnie and John EnanderRhianon and Edward GomezCorwith HamillDon and Aleta HamiltonCyrus R. Heaton

Alyson HellmanKainz Family FoundationRuel F. LehmanNOAA’s Fisheries ServiceRalph and Janet PilandWilliam and Sandra Scott

Stephanie A. SmithRobert SteinhoffStuart and Melissa StrahlEthlyn D. WareJohn and Susan WatsonIn memory of Frances S. Wells

Ed Blair (left), Ralph Piland (middle), and JamesThorson (right) help to support a bottlenosedolphin during a Sarasota Bay health assessment.The suction cup hydrophone ("party hat") behindthe blowhole records the dolphin's whistles.

Long-time volunteer Bill Scott maintains his focuson the job at hand while helping to support abottlenose dolphin during a health assessment.

Stacey Carlson (left) of the Southeast Region Office of NOAA'sFisheries Service and Dr. Jackie Ogden (right), Vice President ofAnimal Programs and Environmental Initiatives for Disney'sAnimal Programs, support a bottlenose dolphin in Palma SolaBay for a health assessment.

Dr. Jay Sweeney of Dolphin Quest performs anultrasound exam on a bottlenose dolphin duringhealth assessments in Sarasota Bay.

Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, 708 Tropical Circle, Sarasota, FL 34242

Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and Disney staff assist colleagues in Argentinawith release of a franciscana dolphin tagged with a satellite-linked transmitter.

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