Page 22 - Gateways_2017_Fall

Sarasota Dolphin Research Program continued

THE SURVEY SAYS...
Fundamentally, to learn about marine
mammals, you have to be able to see
them. The marine habitat is not conducive sighting one usually means finding a to what amounts to an
to effective identification of individual group, occasionally with as many as 20 in-depth portrait of the
dolphins, which can look the same when individuals. Survey teams photograph and bottlenose dolphins living in
they briefly surface at a distance and identify dozens of dolphins a day. With Sarasota Bay—their social groupings
disappear completely when they submerge, each encounter, a team also records not and behaviors within these groupings,
at least from the perspective of those on just who is in a group but also information their habitat use and communication
a boat. That’s why the Sarasota program such as the activities in which the dolphins capabilities, and how long they live,
has applied and refined techniques in are engaging; whether a group includes among other statistics. Based on this
identifying, photographing, and cataloging any new calves; new injuries or health wealth of knowledge, the staff of the
natural dorsal fin nicks and notches, concerns; whether they are interacting with Sarasota Dolphin Research Program are
which act almost like a fingerprint, or people; and water depth and temperature considered one of the world’s go-to sources
humanely tagging others that have no and other environmental conditions. for any researcher or wildlife manager
natural identifiers on their dorsal fin. The surveys are not the end game in requiring background on the species.
Surveys are conducted for 10 days and of themselves. Thanks to the long-
out of the month, all year long. During term, continuous, and consistent use of
each survey, program staff, trained surveys, Wells and his team have decades Top: Scientists observe dolphins from the
volunteers, and interns spend most of a of invaluable data on these animals, both tower of the research vessel Nai’a.
Inset right: Radio-tracking helps researchers
day searching for dolphins along a fixed as individuals and in group settings. Over monitor dolphins released after rescue.
route. Since dolphins are social animals, many years, eachdata point has added Right: Bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay use
avariety of habitats, including shallow sandbars
along narrow passes separating barrier islands.

22 GATEWAYS | UNDERSTANDING DOLPHINS BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS