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 started a pilot tagging study to find out whether dolphins on Florida's central west coast remained in the area or traveled more widely. In 1974, with a contract from the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, they were joined by Michael Scott and expanded the study with radio-telemetry.
Their subsequent discovery of long-term residency set the stage for today's efforts by demonstrating opportunities to study individually identifiable dolphins throughout their lives in a natural laboratory setting.
Our work is conducted under the name "Sarasota Dolphin Research Program." This name ties together several organizations dedicated to ensuring the continuity of our long-term research, conservation and education 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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Greetings!
The New Year is off to a busy start as we continue our monthly dolphin photo ID population monitoring surveys and other research in Southwest Florida, and consult
 on dolphin conservation issues across the globe.
Southwest Florida
During our January surveys, we've accounted for most of the dolphin calves that we documented being born in Sarasota Bay in 2016 -- a good sign for the next generation of Bay dolphins. We've also seen the return of red tide; a bloom was first documented in September and had diminished by December. However, we've seen a resurgence this month, and our most recent dolphin prey species survey has turned up fewer fish than expected. We know from past research that when the availability of prey species declines in the Bay, we see more negative dolphin-human interactions (dolphins stealing bait and fish from anglers' lines, for example) and we'll be keeping a close eye on the situation to see what happens. (Learn more about dolphins and red tide.)
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SDRP staff conducting a prey fish survey.
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We're also initiating a dolphin photo-ID project near Naples -- a location where stock assessments as prepared by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service need updating. Under the leadership of our post-doc, Dr. Reny Tyson, we will be performing photo-identification surveys to estimate dolphin abundance and to develop a catalog of distinctive individuals for inclusion in our Gulf-wide catalog, GoMDIS. The habitat here is interesting because it represents a transitional location between the heavily populated Southwest Florida coastline (in Naples and Marco Island) and the sparsely populated Everglades (the Ten Thousand Islands, for example). We are very grateful to the staff of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's Shell Island Field Station for their help in the initial stages of this project. Interestingly, on their first survey day on the water, the SDRP team identified Skipper, a young female dolphin that we disentangled in September 2014.
SDRP staff member Aaron Barleycorn also responded as part of a NOAA-led team to a mass stranding of 95 false killer whales in the Everglades; it was the largest mass stranding of this species ever reported in the U.S. Unfortunately, none of the animals survived. The cause for the stranding is unknown at this time.
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Worldwide Conservation
Our initial efforts at establishing a dolphin identification system to help improve population estimates, life history parameters and understand ranging patterns for Chinese white dolphins (
Sousa chinensis) living in the Pearl River Estuary in southern China have been well received by researchers, NGOs and government officials. Chinese white dolphins in this area are threatened by high-speed ferry operations, habitat loss, fishing and pollution from a variety of sources. The photo ID catalogue, known as the Pearl River Estuary Dolphin Identification System (PREDIS), is designed to help researchers identify dolphins based on their dorsal fin markings as well as their coloration and spotting patterns. As you know from following our research efforts in Sarasota Bay, being able to recognize individual animals over time and space is crucial to understanding the health of the overall population and protecting it.
We're also participating in another international committee that is working to conserve the most threatened population of cetaceans in the world: the Vaquita porpoises that live only in the upper Gulf of California. It is believed there are fewer than 30 porpoises remaining and efforts are under way to try and save at least some of those that are left. These small porpoises are about the same size as the endangered giant sea bass, the totoaba, which are illegally fished to supply swim bladders to China. The Vaquita become entangled and drown in the gill nets set for the fish. The Mexican government has announced plans to move some of the animals into a temporary marine sanctuary, while increasing their efforts to stop the illegal totoaba fishery. (Learn more.)
We also noted some good news on the dolphin conservation front following a meeting in Kratie, Cambodia, about the status of Mekong River dolphins, which are also critically endangered. The number of dolphins in the population has increased from about 70 animals to more than 80. They've also seen a decrease in the number of carcasses recovered, largely as a result of the River Patrol organized by WWF-Cambodia and the Cambodian government to remove and destroy illegal gill nets. In the future, we expect to continue working with the groups trying to save this species of dolphin and expect to host and train Cambodian researchers in Sarasota.
Here's wishing you fair winds and following seas,
Randy Wells
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Fin of the Month
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Name: Skipper
Age: 3
Sex: Female
A Dolphin's Life: This dependent calf, nicknamed Skipper, was first spotted by
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Rescuing Skipper in 2014.
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members of the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, who documented her entanglement and reported it to state and federal authorities in August 2014.
After the dolphin was spotted several times over several weeks still entangled in fishing gear, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) -- which oversees the protection of marine mammals in the U.S. -- asked us to try to free the dolphin of the gear. Our initial efforts to use a long-handled disentanglement tool weren't successful, so we brought together a team, including members of the Southeast Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network, to mount a rescue operation that included 39 people and six boats.
Team members spotted the calf with her mother, nicknamed Halfway, and the animals were caught and held briefly in the water for examination and disentanglement. Veterinarians found that about a foot of metal fishing leader, probably from a trolling rig, was wrapped around the base of Skipper's tail peduncle and flukes. Left unchecked, the stiff metal wire would have cut deeper into the dolphin and eventually severed her tail. The gear was removed, the wounds treated and both dolphins were successfully released on site.
That our team spotted Skipper on their first field day on the water, on Jan. 26, as we begin a new dolphin identification project in Naples is testament to the rescue operation's success and it was certainly gratifying to know that Skipper is thriving today. You can help protect wild dolphins by following the simple tips outlined in our Dolphin-Friendly Fishing & Viewing Tips card.
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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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