Nicks 'n' Notches Online
March 2017

Welcome to Nicks 'n' Notches Online, the enewsletter of the 
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.
RESEARCH, CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION SINCE 1970.
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.
 
Notes from the Field and Lab...
   Randall Wells, Ph.D., Director
Greetings!
 
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill may be seven years in our rearview mirror, but the recently published results of scientific studies investigating the spill are showing how it impacted -- and is still impacting -- protected and endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico.

The scientific journal, Endangered Species Research, recently released a special themed issue dedicated to reporting findings of some of the scientific research conducted under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) on protected marine species -- particularly sea turtles and cetaceans, which are all protected under U.S. federal law.

The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is playing a key role in helping to understand the spill's impacts on dolphin species in the wake of the spill.

How?

We have a 47-year history of research on bottlenose dolphins thanks to our studies of the long-term resident population in Sarasota Bay. Information about our dolphins here is providing important baseline parameters that are helping us measure and understand the oil spill's impacts on dolphins elsewhere.

The spill, which released 3.19 million barrels of oil over 87 days, contaminated more than 112,000 km (nearly 70,000 miles) of surface waters and 2,100 km (1,304 miles) of shoreline. The location of the spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico hosts five sea turtle species and 57 marine mammal stocks of 22 different species.

Hundreds of researchers from numerous agencies spent thousands of hours working in challenging conditions to gather information using a variety of measures, including boat-based and aerial surveys, rescues, veterinary assessments, satellite-linked tracking of live animals during and after the spill and recovery and examination of stranded animals.

The results showed that oil exposure caused a variety of problems -- from reproductive failure to organ damage and death -- and that the spill contributed to the largest and longest marine mammal unusual mortality event ever documented in the Gulf.

A dolphin health assessment in Barataria Bay, Louisiana.
(NOAA photo)
SDRP scientists authored or co-authored five of the 20 papers published in this issue of ESR: Looking at the results of these and other studies, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Trustees have concluded that it will take decades for sea turtle and marine mammal species in the Gulf to make a full recovery and that recovery will require extensive restoration efforts. The SDRP plans to be there to continue to document these population-level changes and support species recovery where possible.

The ESR is an open-access journal -- meaning that anyone with an interest in learning more about the spill and its impacts is able to view the published articles for free. Perhaps of most interest to non-scientists are the article abstracts and conclusions. I encourage you to check them out.

Here's wishing you fair winds and following seas,

Randy Wells
Vaquita On Social Media
Miley Cyrus, Chris Hemsworth and Leonardo DiCaprio recently helped spread the word about the plight of the world's most endangered cetacean, the Vaquita porpoise, on social media by posting this picture and others.

We're still working on plans to try to save this species from becoming extinct -- there are only an estimated 30 Vaquitas left in the world -- but we need to raise $1 million in just a few weeks to get the project started, to make search vessel arrangements and to begin to build a place where the porpoises can live away from fishing nets.

Our partners in the effort to save the Vaquita at The Marine Mammal Center and the National Marine Mammal Foundation are gathering funds to help save this species.  
Fin of the Month 
Name: FB79, aka Vespa
Age: 38
Sex: Female
A Dolphin's Life: Since we first identified Vespa in 1985, members of the SDRP have seen her more than 1,000 times. This dolphin's ninth calf was born last year and her second calf, Scooter, has given birth to four calves of her own.
 
Unfortunately, many of her calves and grandcalves have not survived.

Why? Vespa's lineage is known for interacting with people fishing: stalking boats, bridges and piers and waiting for discarded bait and catch. It seems that Vespa has been passing bad behaviors down to her calves and grandcalves, which has led to their entanglement in fishing line, hooking, ingestion of gear and other negative interactions.

We can't "untrain" Vespa. But we can all play a role in helping to curb bad dolphin behavior when we're fishing by following a few simple dolphin-friendly fishing tips -- these in particular:
  • Don't feed wild dolphins;
  • Reuse or give away leftover bait -- don't just dump it where it will become an attractive meal for dolphins;
  • Reel in your line if dolphins appear, and wait for them to go away;
  • Change locations if dolphins show an interest in your bait or catch;
  • Release catch quietly away from dolphins where it is possible to do so without violating any fishing regulations.

You can download our handy guide "Dolphin Friendly Fishing and Viewing" tips from our website in English or in Spanish.  

 

If a dolphin starts foraging where you're fishing, it's best to reel in your line and move to another location. 

Vespa is a dolphin that is known for trying to take bait and catch from anglers. Since we can't untrain "bad" dolphin behaviors, SDRP tries to educate the public about the best ways to protect dolphins in the wild. 


Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
708 Tropical Circle
Sarasota, FL  34242
941.349.3259
info@sarasotadolphin.org 


Dedicated to dolphin research, conservation  and education since 1970.

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.