Welcome to Nicks 'n' Notches Online, the enewsletter of the
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.
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RESEARCH, CONSERVATION
AND EDUCATION SINCE 1970.
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The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) is a collaboration dedicated to dolphin research, conservation and education.
It began in 1970 at Mote Marine Laboratory when Blair Irvine and high school student Randy Wells began a tagging study to find out if dolphins on Florida's central west coast from southern Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor remained in the area or traveled more widely.
Our discovery of long-term residency set the stage for our future efforts by demonstrating opportunities to study individually identifiable dolphins throughout their lives.
Our dolphin research, conservation and education work is conducted under the umbrella name "Sarasota Dolphin Research Program." This name links the efforts of several organizations and individuals that work together to ensure the continuity of our long-term dolphin efforts in Sarasota Bay and elsewhere.
The SDRP has been operated by the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) since 1989.
"Dolphin Biology Research Institute," is a Sarasota-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation established in 1982. It provides logistical support with research vessels, towing vehicles, computers, cameras, field equipment, etc.
Since 1992, the program has been based at Mote Marine Laboratory on City Island in Sarasota Bay, with office, lab, storage and dock space and easy access to boat launching ramps within the home range of the Sarasota Bay resident dolphins.
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Notes from the Field and Lab...
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Randall Wells, Ph.D., Director
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 I recently traveled to Hong Kong after I was invited to participate in a panel that was brought together to help to provide guidance for research on the population of Chinese white dolphins,
Sousa chinensis,
(also known as Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin)
living in the Pearl River Delta.
This is not a population of dolphins that I have been involved in studying in the past -- others have been doing extensive work there -- but since the biggest threats they face come from human activities, I was happy to bring our program's experience and expertise to the table. Adverse human interaction with dolphins is a key topic of study for us here at the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and we try to raise public awareness about the impacts humans have on dolphin populations and how we can reduce those effects.
Our studies have helped to show that recreational fishery interactions are one of the leading human-induced causes of death for bottlenose dolphins in the Southeastern U.S., and the largest threat in Sarasota Bay. In Sarasota Bay, we've seen that adverse interactions between humans and dolphins have grown over the past decade or so.
Our long-term records indicate that a disturbingly high proportion of our resident population was observed engaging in behaviors of concern between 1993-2014. During this time period, more than 70 individual dolphins were seen with human-related injuries, including boat strike wounds and fishing gear entanglement or ingestion. In about 30 of these cases, the dolphins either died or needed to be rescued. One study we conducted showed that the Sarasota Bay dolphins had motorboats pass within 100 meters every six minutes during daylight hours.
In the Pearl River Delta, the exposure to human activities is much greater. Hundreds of thousands of vessels travel through the dolphins' range and they're surrounded by a human population of about 54 million. There are also extensive dredge and fill operations that are taking place in the dolphins' habitat. There is much work to be done to determine the conservation status of this population and to try to identify steps that might be taken to reduce threats.
There are many commonalities to the issues facing the dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary and in Sarasota Bay and elsewhere -- they differ largely in scale. If you frequent coastal waters, I urge you to follow the 10 tips outlined in our
Dolphin-Friendly Fishing and Viewing Tips card. But even if you don't live in a coastal area near dolphins, you can still help protect them by following the simple mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle.
See you next month!
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About the Chinese White Dolphin
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Species: Chinese white dolphins,
Sousa chinensis,
are also known as Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.
Size: They can grow to be more than 8 feet long and 500 pounds
Distribution: The species inhabits shallow waters of the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. The western extent of the range of this species is being redefined as the taxonomy is being reconsidered, but it may range as far as Bangldesh or eastern India. There are several distinct populations, including the one that frequents the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.
 Habitat: Nearshore, shallow coastal waters
Social: Little is known about their social structure, but they are often seen in small groups of three to four animals, with dolphins regularly changing groups.
Lifespan: Possibly as long as 40 years
Main threats: Fishing gear entanglement, vessel collisions, habitat degradation, environmental contaminants (including mercury & DDT)
Why are they pink? White dolphins are dark gray to almost black when they are born and change color as they mature. Their pink color is actually caused by the dilation of their blood vessels and is likely a form of thermoregulation.
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Name: F222
Age: 18
Sex: Male
A Dolphin's Life: We have seen F222
more than 476 times since we first spotted him on Aug. 22, 2002. Most recently, we saw him on April 4 of this year. He is often seen with F148, a 20-year-old male. On July 1, 2015, we observed F222 with fresh, severe boat strike wounds to his dorsal fin and body.
Afterward, we frequently saw him around fishing piers trying to eat bait and catch on lines, as well as discarded catch. This, along with any people feeding him could have reinforced his involvement in these activities and put him at continued risk from entanglement or ingestion of fishing gear. However, his boat wounds have since healed (leaving him disfigured) and he has returned to spending
 time with F148 and engaging in normal wild dolphin activities. We will continue to monitor him through our monthly population photo-ID surveys.
Photos: In the top photo, F222 is shown before he was struck by a boat. The photo to the right is how his fin looks today, after the boat strike wounds had healed.
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Dolphin Biology Research Institute (DBA Sarasota Dolphin Research Program)
is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to research and conservation of dolphins and their habitat. Employer Identification No. 59-2288387; Florida Charitable Contributions Solicitations Registration No. CH1172. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL FLORIDA REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR AT WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. THIS ORGANIZATION RETAINS 100% OF ALL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED.
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STAY CONNECTED
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