Nicks 'n' Notches Online
A monthly enewsletter from the
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
March 2022
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Dr. Randy Wells, Vice President of Marine Mammal Conservation at the Chicago Zoological Society and Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, received the Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Marine Mammalogy!
The award, which is named after the SMM’s founding president, acknowledges individuals for their exemplary lifetime contributions to science and society through research, teaching, and service in marine mammalogy. It’s awarded every two years and is the highest honor bestowed on members of the world’s leading professional society for marine mammal science and conservation!
Congratulations Randy!
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Notes from the Field and Lab |
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April marks the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A dozen years after this disastrous event, scientists are still identifying the long-term impacts on the local Barataria Bay dolphin population. The findings are not positive.
In the years immediately after the disaster, oil-related injuries contributed to the largest cetacean unusual mortality event recorded in the Gulf of Mexico and, as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, our colleagues developed models predicting the long-term impacts to the overall Barataria Bay dolphin population.
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In a new study by a team of researchers including the SDRP, based on subsequent years of health assessment data and a formal expert elicitation process, these predictions have been updated in “Modeling population effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a long-lived species,” published recently in the journal Conservation Biology. Lori H. Schwacke, with the National Marine Mammal Foundation, was the lead author.
Among the team’s findings:
- Disease conditions persisted and have recently worsened in dolphins that were presumably exposed to DWH oil. 78% of dolphins assessed in 2018 had a guarded, poor, or grave prognosis. Dolphins born after the spill were in better health.
- The population declined by an estimated 45% relative to baseline and will take 35 years to recover to 95% of baseline numbers.
Today, the Barataria Bay population is at a minimum point in its recovery trajectory and remains vulnerable to emerging threats — including planned ecosystem restoration efforts involving sediment diversion from the Mississippi River — that are likely to be detrimental to the dolphins’ survival.
Interestingly, while the Sarasota Bay dolphins we study are nearly 500 miles from their Barataria Bay cousins, they have played a crucial role in helping to develop these population model estimates predicting the changes and impacts caused by the DWH spill. That’s because we have more than 50 years of data — on everything from biology and physiology to population structure, life history, and ecology — about the dolphins in Sarasota Bay, allowing them to serve as a reference population for comparison to other bottlenose dolphin populations.
The new study pointed out that for long-lived species like dolphins, small changes in individual survival can result in big changes for a population. And because there are no proven medical interventions we can implement to address the persistent diseases caused by oil exposure, we must do all we can to prevent additional impacts from things that we can control.
That means we must all continue to work to limit threats that dolphins face in the wild — from other pollutants, from marine debris, from habitat alteration, and from fishing gear, for example — to prevent additional risks to dolphin populations. That’s not just true for the oil-exposed animals in Barataria Bay, it’s important for all dolphins, including the Sarasota Bay dolphins we know best.
Wishing you fair winds, and clean seas.
Randy Wells
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PS. Responding to dolphin entanglements — like our January rescue — and documenting the impacts from massive disasters like the DWH and Piney Point is part of our dolphin conservation mission. But it takes support to be able to respond at a moment’s notice. If you think this work is important, please consider making a donation to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program during the 2022 Giving Challenge, which takes place from Noon to Noon April 26-27. Donations from $25 to $100 will also be eligible for 1-to-1 matching funds, doubling your impact!
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Publication Citation & Link |
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Schwacke, L. H., Marques, T. A., Thomas, L., Booth, C. G., Balmer, B. C., Barratclough, A., Colegrove, K., De Guise, S., Garrison, L. P., Gomez, F. M., Morey, J. S., Mullin, K. D., Quigley, B. M., Rosel, P. E., Rowles, T. K., Takeshita, R., Townsend, F. I., Speakman, T. R., Wells, R. S., …, & Smith, C. R. (2022). Modeling population effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a long-lived species. Conservation Biology, e13878. (2021) Link
Other Recent Publications:
Dziobak, M.K.; Wells, R.S.; Pisarski, E.C.; Wirth, E.F.; Hart, L.B. A Correlational Analysis of Phthalate Exposure and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Sarasota Bay, Florida (2010–2019). Animals 2022, 12, 824. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070824 Link
Kucklick J, Boggs A, Huncik K, Moors A, Davis E, Ylitalo G, McConnell M, Makris C and Wells RS Temporal Trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Sarasota Bay Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Front. Mar. Sci. 9:763918. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.763918 (2022) Link
Lacy RC, Wells RS, Scott MD, Allen JB, Barleycorn AA, Urian KW and Hofmann S Assessing the Viability of the Sarasota Bay Community of Bottlenose Dolphins. Front. Mar. Sci. 8:788086. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.788086 (2021) Link
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Name: F207, also known as Swiss Cheese
Age: 17
Sex: Female
A Dolphin’s Life: Swiss Cheese is the calf of F175 and grand-calf of FB75 (also known as Pup). We’ve observed her more than 600 times since her birth in 2005 and have documented her with three calves. 2071 was born in 2014 and disappeared in 2017. Swiss Cheese's second calf, 2072, was born that same year, but did not survive. Her third calf — 2073 — was the second calf we documented during the 2020 calving season.
In the 2021 picture below, F207 is with 2073, whose face is showing above the water. Did you know that dolphin dorsal fins sometimes have what looks to be skin tabs hanging off? These are actually soft-bodied tassel barnacles, which are temporary attachments that fall off as water conditions change.
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Be Dolphin Safe
- Don’t feed wild dolphins.
- Reel in your fishing line if dolphins appear.
- Change locations if dolphins show interest in bait or catch.
- Release catch quietly away from dolphins when and where it is possible to do so without violating any state or federal fishing regulations.
- Check gear and terminal tackle to make sure it won’t break off easily and, if your line does break, be sure to collect anything left behind in mangroves or on docks.
- Use circle and corrodible hooks and avoid braided fishing line.
- Stay at least 50 yards away from dolphins.
- Stash your trash in a lidded container on your boat until you can get to shore and dispose of it safely in a place where it will not blow back into the water.
Download the Dolphin-Friendly Tips Card
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Celebrating More than 50 Years of Research, Conservation and Education
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Support Dolphin Research Today |
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Each year, it takes approximately $1 million to fund the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Each grant and each gift helps to ensure that we can continue to learn about and help some of the world’s most fascinating creatures.
You can help ensure the future of this important and unparalleled wild dolphin research by making a gift today.
Gift options
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Donate to the Dolphin Biology Research Institute. This Sarasota-based nonprofit organization was established in 1982 to provide critical logistical and other operational support to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.
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For more information on how you can help support wild dolphin research, please contact Randy Wells, Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, at RWells@mote.org or 941.374.0449.
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Dolphin Biology Research Institute — DBA Sarasota Dolphin Research Program — is dedicated to research and conservation of dolphins and their habitat. Community Foundation of Sarasota County Giving Partner Profile available here.
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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