
The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program:
Our Approach to Helping Dolphins
Our Approach to Helping Dolphins

We conduct the longest-running study of a wild dolphin population in the world and have been learning about the daily lives and threats to the dolphins of Sarasota Bay, Florida, since our program began in October 1970.

Today, we share our knowledge through national and international collaborations designed to help conserve wild dolphin populations — not just in Florida and in the U.S., but throughout the world.

Our goal with every research and conservation project that we undertake locally, nationally and internationally is to contribute to a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of dolphin, whale, and porpoise populations, as well as the natural and human-induced factors that impact them.

UNCOVERING
THE SECRET LIVES OF
DOLPHINS
We’ve documented six generations of dolphins in Sarasota Bay, including the oldest-known wild dolphin in the world. Nicklo lived to age 67.
50-plus years of study has given us an unparalleled window into the world of wild dolphins. Our home base, Sarasota Bay, Florida, is a unique natural laboratory where we have spent a half-century studying their lives — we know their lineages, their companions, their favorite hangouts and even their eating habits. We’ve borne witness to hundreds of dolphin births and been there to learn what we could from dolphin deaths.
These coastal dolphins are a permanent community — our neighbors — whose lives are helping us to understand dolphin populations throughout the world.
THREATS TO WILD
DOLPHINS
DOLPHINS
As top predators in their environments, dolphins face few natural threats. But locally and worldwide, they face numerous threats from anthropogenic — human induced — causes. One part of our mission is to help educate people like you on how you can help keep wild dolphins safe.
WHERE WE WORK
Conservation or Research Project
Graduate Student Theses
Consulting/Advising
Dolphin Tracking
FEATURES
Wells Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
SDRP Leader Receives Lifetime Achievement Award We're proud to offer
A Risky Dolphin Rescue
A Risky Dolphin Rescue Near Clearwater Beach, Florida —Notes from the Field from
DWH: 12 Years On
A Dozen Years After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, We're Still Documenting Impacts to Dolphins April
Tracking “Dorothy”
What Happens When a Dolphin is Left Behind by a Hurricane? This map shows the
Dolphin Valentines to Share
We love dolphins and know you do too, so we created some printable dolphin cards to share with your
Learn Field Research Skills
The Eugenie Clark Field Research Skills and Leadership Program New College of Florida is offering paid training experiences in
Apply Now: Summer Internship
Are you a college student studying marine biology, biology, ecology, zoology, wildlife, fisheries, or a related field and interested
2021 Baby Boom
The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has documented 22 dolphin births in 2021 to the long-term resident bottlenose
When the Prey is Gone
When the Prey is Gone Gaining a fuller understanding of dolphins also means studying how they interact with
When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix
What Happens When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix? Prolonged exposure to freshwater is linked to adverse