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Nicks 'n' Notches Online
An enewsletter from the
Sarasota Dolphin
Research Program
June 2024
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SDRP Featured in Washington Post | |
We were happy to share information about the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program with The Washington Post recently, which featured our five-plus decades of dolphin studies in the Science section of the paper. We appreciate the recognition and hope that by sharing information about our program we help raise awareness among the public of dolphins and the conservation threats they face not just here in Sarasota Bay, but worldwide.
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Notes from the Lab and Field | |
May and early June mark our most intense time of the year as we completed our monthly photo ID surveys, followed by two weeks of Sarasota Bay dolphin health assessments and one week of offshore health assessments and tagging. We had record high temperatures on some of the days, including one 99-degree day on May 30. I’m pleased to report that our staff and partners were amazing throughout!
Photo ID Surveys
During our 10 boat-days of photo ID surveys, we observed 68% of the long-term Sarasota Bay resident dolphins and the year’s first new babies, including the first, pictured below. (Keep reading to see the others!)
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We also sighted three of the four calves remaining from the 2023 season and five of our seven dolphins who are more than 40 years old. Sadly, we noted the loss of long-time community member Big Shout, 34, who we documented with seven calves over her lifetime. Two of her offspring have gone on to have five calves of their own. | |
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Inshore Health Assessments and Rescues
In May, a team of 163 people, with 76 to 93 of them on the water on any given day working from 10 to 12 boats, collected data and biological samples from 19 dolphins in support of 43 projects. Ten of the dolphins were our highest priority — meaning they had not previously been sampled or examined. Notably, two of our highest-priority animals were dolphins entangled in fishing gear.
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2615 Rescue
The first was 2615, a 4-year-old male calf seen infrequently in our study area. He is the son of F261, age 49. The entanglement badly disfigured his dorsal fin and while we were able to remove the line and release him with his mother, the disfigurement could increase the probability of more line entanglement in the future.
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Rescue of "Roy Kent"
The second disentanglement was of a dolphin nicknamed Roy Kent (aka F334). Since February, we have made numerous attempts to remotely disentangle this 8-year-old, 7.5-foot, 315-pound male from the fishing line embedded in his tail fluke. We were able to catch him on May 21, remove most of the line, treat his wound and release him. The braided micro-multifilament fishing line (also known as spiderwire) from his entanglement is notorious for causing serious injuries to wildlife. The braiding in essence turns the line into a saw blade and the dolphin’s tail moves the “blade” up and down, cutting into its flesh. When algae and debris get caught in the trailing edges of the line, the added drag pulls the line deeper and deeper into the fluke. We expect his tail will heal and remain intact.
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SDRP staff will continue to monitor these dolphins during our monthly photo-ID surveys to assess their recovery. | |
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Offshore Research
In May, during the final field session of our Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program grant, we were able to examine and tag two Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) over the West Florida Shelf:
- “Nelio”: 5.6-foot-long male, estimated to be 6-7 years old based on his spot pattern, tagged on May 28, 45 nautical miles (NM) west-southwest of New Pass in waters 126 feet deep. (Tag 232508 on the map)
- “Debbie”: 6.3-foot-long female, estimated to be 7-8 years old, tagged May 31, 33NM southwest of New Pass in waters 104 feet deep. (Tag 240134)
We are currently tracking these two dolphins, along with Atlantic spotted dolphin “Ping” (Tag 232507) who we tagged with our pole-mounted Tag Attachment Device (TADpole) on April 18, 46NM offshore of Venice in waters 130 feet deep.
Since Ping was tagged with the TADpole, we don’t have sex or age information on the dolphin. You can learn more about the TADpole in this recently published paper “Development of single-pin, un-barbed, pole-tagging of free-swimming dolphins and sharks with satellite-linked transmitters” in the journal Animal Biotelemetry here.
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The waters offshore of Pine Island Sound seem to be the place to be if you are a spotted dolphin, as all three tagged dolphins have gone there. This map shows the most recent high-quality signals: Debbie, 37NM off Sanibel Island; Nelio, 38NM off Cayo Costa; Ping, 52NM off Captiva Island. The largest dot at one end of each animal's line is its most recent location. | |
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I’ll close out my letter this month by sharing one of my favorite pictures from our 2024 health assessments. This drone-captured image shows the team releasing the last dolphin on May 24. This shot was taken just 50 yards from where Sarasota Dolphin Research Program personnel first handled a Sarasota Bay dolphin in June 1970. Once again, this program has been a team effort — from those with us on the water, to those back in the lab and to all of you, our supporters who help make our work possible!
Here's to a summer of fair winds, following seas and entanglement-free waters!
Randy Wells
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Here are the other Sarasota Bay dolphins born so far this year: Meet 1096, 2197, 1139 and 2095! Remember: If you're boating around Florida waters this summer, keep a sharp lookout for wildlife on the move. Turtles are coming ashore to nest, manatees are moving along the coast and dolphin moms like these are teaching their brand-new calves how to navigate the world! | |
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Dolphin Biology Research Institute — DBA Sarasota Dolphin Research Program — is dedicated to research and conservation of dolphins and their habitat.
DBRI IS A 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION — FEDERAL TAX ID #59-2288387. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH1172) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR AT WWW.FDACS.GOV/CONSUMER-RESOURCES/CHARITIES. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
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