In December 2024, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program helped to rescue two dolphins from a shallow lagoon along Pine Island Creek on the east side of Pine Island. <\/p>\n
PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n
The March 3 meeting of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association featured one of the world\u2019s leading dolphin researchers who shared information about the remarkable lives of bottlenose dolphins in Southwest Florida \u2014 including dolphins that live in Pine Island Sound.<\/p>\n
Dr. Randall Wells, director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and vice president of Marine Mammal Conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, has studied dolphins in Sarasota Bay and surrounding waters for more than five decades. The program, which began in 1970, is the world\u2019s longest-running study of wild dolphins.<\/p>\n
Although his research focuses primarily on Sarasota Bay, Wells said the findings apply directly to the dolphins living around Pine Island. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re the same species \u2014 just a couple of communities apart,\u201d Wells told the audience, explaining that dolphins in different bays and sounds along Florida\u2019s Gulf Coast behave in very similar ways.<\/p>\n
Long-term residents of local waters<\/p>\n
Early dolphin research assumed the animals ranged widely across the Gulf of Mexico. That idea changed as scientists began tracking individual dolphins and identifying them by the unique nicks and notches on their dorsal fins.<\/p>\n
Those techniques revealed that coastal dolphins tend to stay within specific home ranges for decades. In Sarasota Bay, Wells and the SDRP have documented a long-term resident community of about 170 dolphins that occupy the same waters year-round and across multiple generations. Similar patterns have been documented in the waters around Pine Island.<\/p>\n
From 1982 to 2007, scientists conducted photographic identification surveys in Gasparilla Sound, Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor and Placida Bay. The results showed the same long-term residency as seen in the Sarasota Bay dolphin community.<\/p>\n
Researchers have tracked individual dolphins in the Pine Island region for as long as 25 years and recorded some animals up to 34 times during that period. Even after major storms, the animals tended to remain in their home waters.<\/p>\n
For instance, after Hurricane Charley, scientists were able to re-sight 94% of the dolphins that had been identified in the area before the storm, confirming that the animals remained residents of those same local habitats.<\/p>\n
Complex social lives<\/p>\n
Long-term monitoring has revealed that bottlenose dolphins live in complex social societies. Instead of fixed family \u201cpods,\u201d dolphins form constantly changing groups in what scientists call a \u201cfission-fusion\u201d society.<\/p>\n
Males often form long-term pair bonds that can last for life, while females typically raise calves on their own. <\/p>\n
Communication is also highly sophisticated. Each dolphin develops a unique \u201csignature whistle,\u201d which functions much like an individual name and allows dolphins to identify one another even in murky water where visibility is limited.<\/p>\n
Studying dolphins from many angles<\/p>\n
The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program uses a wide range of methods to understand dolphin populations.<\/p>\n
These include photographic identification of dorsal fins, passive acoustic monitoring, the use of satellite-linked and radio tracking tags, genetic sampling through biopsies, health assessments conducted by teams of veterinarians and long-term behavioral observations.<\/p>\n
Human activity is a major threat<\/p>\n
While dolphins face natural predators such as bull sharks and tiger sharks, Wells said many of the biggest dangers come from human activity.<\/p>\n
Data from dolphin strandings show that about 24% of documented dolphin deaths involve human interaction, including entanglement in fishing gear and boat strikes.<\/p>\n
Fishing gear alone accounts for about 20% of those deaths, often when line wraps around a dolphin\u2019s body and cuts into tissue as the animal swims. Boat strikes are another hazard, especially in shallow water where dolphins may not be able to avoid vessels passing overhead.<\/p>\n
Feeding dolphins is also a major concern. Dolphins that learn to take fish from anglers or boaters are more likely to become entangled in fishing gear or struck by boats.<\/p>\n
Wells offered practical advice for people who fish or boat in dolphin habitat. Among his recommendations: <\/p>\n
\u2022 Never feed wild dolphins; <\/p>\n
\u2022 Reel in fishing lines if dolphins appear nearby; <\/p>\n
\u2022 Move to another location if dolphins continue to follow you; <\/p>\n
\u2022 Be cautious when boating in shallow water where dolphins may surface beneath vessels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best thing we can suggest is if dolphins come into the area where you are fishing, reel in for a while,\u201d Wells said. \u201cJust do what you can to minimize the fishing line being in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dolphins as indicators of ecosystem health<\/p>\n
Because dolphins live at the top of the coastal food web and share the same waters and fish as people, Wells said they serve as important indicators of environmental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are sentinels of ecosystem health,\u201d he said, noting that what affects dolphins ultimately affects people as well.<\/p>\n
For coastal communities such as Pine Island, that connection is especially close. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are neighbors,\u201d Wells said. \u201cWe breathe the same air, swim in the same waters, catch and eat the same fish.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on how you can protect wild dolphins, visit www.SarasotaDolphin.org, where you can also sign up to receive emails about dolphin research and conservation.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t miss the GPICA\u2019s April meeting<\/p>\n
The featured speaker during the GPICA\u2019s April meeting will be from Lee County Code Enforcement. Have questions about Lee County zoning rules and regulations? Bring them with you to this meeting where you\u2019ll have the opportunity to ask the experts.<\/p>\n
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 7<\/p>\n
Where: First Baptist Church of Pine Island, 5363 Ave. D, Bokeelia (next to Pine Island Elementary School<\/p>\n