By Aaron Barleycorn, BS, Chicago Zoological Society The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has participated in several dolphin rescues over the past few years. Our involvement can range from disentangling free-swimming dolphins, to treatment and release in the field, to rescuing and helping transport the animal to Mote’s dolphin and whale hospital for rehabilitation. One important [...]

By Katie McHugh, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society During our February 2010 population monitoring surveys, SDRP staff observed the 9-month-old, seventh calf of a well-known Sarasota Bay resident, FB25, with something entangled around its head. Although the calf was in good condition and behaving normally, examination of photos from that encounter as well as subsequent sightings [...]

By Steve Shippee, PhD student, University of Central Florida With the support of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, I conducted a study to assess the problem of harmful interactions between bottlenose dolphins and the sport fishery along the Northwest Florida – Alabama Gulf Coast. I made observations on deep-sea sport fishing trips and used photo-identification [...]

By Randall S. Wells, PhD In response to the increase in dolphins taking bait, catch and discards from anglers, we worked with NOAA Fisheries Service, Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, and fishing guides and anglers to develop a set of 10 tips that can improve the experience of the angler or boater while enhancing protection for [...]

By Jessica Powell, MS and Stacey Horstman, MES, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office The NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office (SERO) is located in St. Petersburg, Florida. This office is responsible for managing and ensuring all wild dolphin populations within the southeastern United States (North Carolina through Texas and the Caribbean) are protected in accordance [...]

By Brian Balmer, MS, PhD Student, Chicago Zoological Society and University of North Carolina Wilmington Bottlenose dolphins are apex predators in coastal southeastern U.S. waters, and as such can be sensitive indicators of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in coastal ecosystems. The concentrations of POPs and patterns of specific compounds measured in a dolphin’s blubber are [...]

By Amanda Moors, BS, Jennifer Yordy PhD, and John Kucklick, PhD For 10 years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with partial support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Chicago Zoological Society, has partnered with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) to collect, analyze, and bank samples from bottlenose [...]

By Randall S. Wells, PhD The SDRP is a pioneer in tagging and tracking of dolphins, with our radio-tagging roots extending back to 1975. Over the years, we have worked closely with a number of colleagues and tag production companies to design, test, and deploy tags of smaller sizes and more effective designs. Because of [...]