The latest news from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
On May 17-18, 2023, we tagged and collected biological samples from two bottlenose and two Atlantic spotted dolphins 25-38 miles offshore of Sarasota during the third of four planned offshore health assessment and tagging sessions supported by a grant from the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program. All four dolphins received suction-cup-mounted
A Successful Dolphin Rescue Near Marco Island Earlier this month, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received several reports from the Naples/Marco Island area about a calf whose tail flukes were entangled in fishing line. After determining that the entanglement was life threatening, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) asked us to
Your Support on Giving Tuesday Makes This Possible As people who regularly follow our research and progress know, since 1970, we’ve been working to better understand dolphins and their ecosystem, and sharing the knowledge we've gained locally, statewide, nationally and internationally to help reduce the threats that dolphins worldwide face in the wild.
We’ve got some exciting news to share about our ongoing efforts to conduct health assessments of offshore dolphins: In September, we were able to conduct assessments and tag four dolphins over the West Florida Shelf. The SDRP is leading this project, which involves a multi-institution team funded by the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of
SDRP Founder Blair Irvine (left) and Sam Ridgway, 1967. The marine mammal scientific community has lost two of the field’s greats: Sam Ridgway and William F. Perrin. These founders of modern marine mammal science were indirectly involved in the creation and development of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), and
We Can All Protect Dolphins from Negative Human Interactions This spring, we saw several negative interactions between humans and dolphins — for instance, dolphins patrolling or stalking fishing boats looking for an easy meal. And, on March 24, a female dolphin washed up dead on Fort Myers Beach. A necropsy
A Dozen Years After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, We're Still Documenting Impacts to Dolphins April 2022 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
A Risky Dolphin Rescue Near Clearwater Beach, Florida —Notes from the Field from SDRP Director Dr. Randy Wells This month (January 2022), we were asked by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to lead a risky rescue: A dolphin living to our north near Clearwater monitored by the Clearwater
Work in the field and lab has continued for us this summer, albeit in a socially distant fashion as Covid-19 continues to impact us all. Masks, hand sanitizer, Zoom meetings and other precautions have become our new normal for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, we’ve been able to continue our monthly dolphin photographic identification population
