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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| Brushing Up on the Basics |
Our Facebook posts are currently covering some of the basics of dolphin biology and ecology.
Many of you -- our loyal readers -- are probably well versed in these areas, but if you'd like to test your knowledge, brush up on the basics or find an interesting tidbit for your next party, take a look. And, by all means, please share our posts with your less knowledgeable friends and family. We want the information we share to reach as wide an audience as possible and, after all, who doesn't love dolphins?
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Notes from the Field and Lab...
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Randall Wells, Ph.D., Director
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Hello from Seattle!
Right now, I'm participating in a joint meeting of the three Scientific Review Groups that advise the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the status of marine mammal stocks, as required under the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Scientific Review Groups (SRG) cover the Pacific (including Hawaii), the Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean) and Alaska. I am currently the Acting Chair of the Atlantic SRG. Michael Scott, another of the founders of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, is the Chair of the Pacific SRG.
Our job is to look at abundance estimates, status and trends of marine mammal stocks -- from pinnipeds and manatees to cetaceans. We also discuss the difficulties in obtaining the requisite information from marine mammal stocks and try to find ways to address these issues. In addition to looking at stock assessments, these groups also address issues related to habitats and the effects of natural and human-caused (anthropogenic) changes to habitats and other issues that arise.
Sharing the expertise that we've gained from more than 45 years of dolphin research in Sarasota Bay and around the world is just one of the activities we undertake when we're not conducting research in the field. Other shore-based tasks include writing and submitting proposals (we've sent three to funding agencies recently) and writing papers on our research to be submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Of course, it's the field research that we most enjoy -- especially when we have good news to report.
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Our photographic identification survey crew was pleased to find long-term resident female Nicklo in January.
To the best of our knowledge, Nicklo is the oldest bottlenose dolphin in the world for which age has been determined.
With her first sighting in 2016, her age can now be incremented to 66 years. Nicklo produced her last calf 18 years ago; that daughter and her own 4-year-old first-born son continue to do well in Sarasota Bay.
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Name: FB2
Age: 25
Sex: Male
A Dolphin's Life: FB2, left, is shown in this Feb. 13, 2016, photo with his buddy Yorick. FB2 is the son of "Genie" and grandson of "Granny" -- dolphins that are both now deceased.
Interestingly, FB2 was still a young dude hanging out with his mom during a health assessment many years ago when we noted during an ultrasound that his mother Genie was pregnant with her next calf.
Did you know that ultrasounds taken during our health assessments of the Sarasota Bay dolphin population have helped us uncover some of the apparent impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on dolphins near Louisiana? We know from our ongoing research that 83 percent of the Sarasota Bay mothers with diagnosed pregnancies were later seen with calves swimming alongside. But in Barataria Bay, La., which was heavily oiled during the spill, only 20 percent of dolphin pregnancies are successful.
Interested in learning more?
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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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