SEFSC Dolphin Photo ID

Original provider: NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Dataset credits: NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, South Florida Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-identification Cooperative Abstract: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for monitoring the populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the southeastern United States waters. The main goals of this monitoring are detection of large-scale change in bottlenose dolphin abundance and establishment of archival databases for long-term trend detection. In 1990, the National Oceanographic Administration (NOAA), NMFS, Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Miami Laboratory initiated low-level monitoring of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Biscayne Bay, Florida using photographic identification (photo-ID) methods to gather information on the numbers of bottlenose dolphins that utilize this area. Biscayne Bay has been greatly influenced by the development of the Miami area in the past 75 years. Information from 12 years of photo-ID surveys has confirmed the presence of a relatively large, long-term resident, core population of bottlenose dolphins in the bay. Their role as apex predators characterizes these animals as excellent indicators of the overall health of Biscayne Bay. This dataset includes sighting information for both identified and unidentified dolphins, dating from 1990 to 2004.

Citation: Contillo, J. 2013. SEFSC Dolphin Photo ID. Version 1.1.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/8ab8fcf9.

Published: October 07, 2025 at 19:14

URL: http://ipt.env.duke.edu/resource?r=zd_226