Autumn 2012
INSIDE MOTE MagazinE Special Events
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Mote Milestones
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Is There A Catch?
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Generation Next
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Ready to Roar
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A Dolphin Rescue
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Sorting Spots
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Hand Outs Aren’t Hands Up
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Special Events OCTOBER 2012 Mote Magazine n A unique mission. Mote Magazine (ISSN 1553-1104) is published by Mote Marine Laboratory, a nonprofit organization dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans. By telling the stories of sea science, Mote hopes to enhance public understanding of marine research and conservation. president & CEO Dr. Kumar Mahadevan
Oct. 19: 6:30-9 p.m. Night of Fish, Fun & Fright. Buoys and ghouls of all ages are invited to dress up in costume for a Night of Fish, Fun and Fright at The Aquarium ta Mote Marine Laboratory. Discover sea creatures from the deep in a safe and fun trick-or-treating zone. Contact Stacy Alexander at 941-388-4441, ext. 509, for sponsorship details. Online at www.mote.org/halloween.
NOVEMBER 2012
Editor Nadine Slimak Creative Director Lawson Mitchell
Nov. 30: Sea Lion Soiree. Join us for a fun night of cocktails and dance at The Aquarium to celebrate sea lions. Ticket prices to be determined. Call Stacy Alexander at 941-388-4441, ext. 509, for sponsorship information or e-mail stacyalexander@mote.org.
Contributing Writers Alison Hassard, Erin Holdgate, Hayley Rutger
FEBRUARY 2013
Contributing Photographers Mark Frapwell/OCEARCH.org Lawson Mitchell, Hayley Rutger, Tim Taylor
Feb. 9: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sea Lion Family Fun Festival. Join us for this fun, familyfriendly event in The Aquarium at Mote. Includes games, crafts, entertainment. Free with paid admission.
PUBLISHING PARTNER Mote magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota magazine at 941-487-1109.
Autumn 2012 • VOLUME 62 Info: 941-388-4441 • www.mote.oRG
Cover Photo
Gracious Designs for Florida Lifestyles
Judy Graham, ASID 50 S. Palm Avenue Sarasota 941 955 9495 Please call for an appointment
grahaminteriors@comcast.net
A California sea lion.
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MOTE MILESTONES Mote Scientist to Co-Chair National Committee on Harmful Algae
The National Harmful Algal Bloom Committee (NHC) has elected Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick — a leader in research on Florida red tide and human health at Mote Marine Laboratory — as co-chair. The NHC brings together research organizations, government agencies, communities and other groups to focus on harmful algal blooms while raising national-level awareness of bloom-related issues. NHC coordinates Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National Environmental Science Strategy for responding to algal blooms in the U.S. Harmful algal blooms are rapid increases in microscopic algae that is toxic or otherwise harmful to humans, wildlife and even ecosystems. These blooms occur along every part of the U.S. coastline and potentially in every freshwater body in the country. A key example in the Gulf of Mexico is Florida red tide. “Harmful algal blooms affect wide swaths of U.S. society, including our multi-billiondollar seafood and coastal tourism
industries; responding to blooms depends on research, public education and policies that work together at the national level,” said Kirkpatrick, manager of the Environmental Health Program at Mote. “NHC is a nationwide nexus for those focused on harmful algae, and I’m honored to serve this vital organization as co-chair.” Kirkpatrick, who has been a member of NHC since 2008, begins her two-year term this month along with Co-Chair Dr. Raphael Kudela, Professor of Ocean Sciences and a phytoplankton ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has more than 12 years of experience studying how harmful algal blooms affect human health. At Mote, she co-led the only long-term study of how Florida’s red tide affects humans, including those with respiratory illnesses. This 10-year study involved medical professionals, oceanographers, chemists, pharmacologists and others at a dozen organizations and led to hundreds of new findings and potential new drug treatments for cystic fibrosis and COPD sufferers.
New Grant Supports MoteIsrael Initiative A new grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee will support Mote’s efforts to partner with Israeli scientists on world-class marine and coastal conservation research. These research studies will be undertaken as part of the new Mote-Israel Cooperative Marine Research Program, which is designed to benefit marine environments in Florida and abroad. Dr. Michael Crosby, senior vice president for research at Mote, recently returned from Israel, where he was working to lay the groundwork for collaborative studies between Mote and Israeli scientists. He met with colleagues at InteruniversIty Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, a national facility shared by all universities in Israel, and at the National Center for Mariculture.
Dr. Crosby led the U.S., Israeli and Jordanian joint partnership project, The Red Sea Marine Peace Park Cooperative Research, Monitoring and Management Program (www.magazine.noaa.gov/ stories/mag30.htm) and since 1994, he has had close working relationships with numerous prominent Israeli marine scientists. Dr. Crosby also serves on the Board of Governors for the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation and was its chairman from 2004 to 2005. “Mote has had a long history of partnerships with our Israeli colleagues since Dr. Eugenie Clark founded the Lab in 1955,” Crosby said. “Many Israeli experts in shark research can even trace their lineage back to Dr. Clark, thanks to her work in the Red Sea. This grant will help support the continuation and expansion of Mote’s ties to Israel — especially in areas of joint concern, like the health and resiliency of coral reefs.” The $15,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee will help support research on ocean acidification and the impacts it could have on the resiliency and recovery of coral reef ecosystems affected by global climate change. “The new Mote-Israel Co-operative Research Program is exactly the type of project that The Jewish Federation of Sarasota Manatee seeks to fund with our precious donor dollars,” said Marty Haberer, associate executive director. “Collaboration is what philanthropy is all about in the new millennia. And when that collaboration brings Israel and our own community together for the betterment of everyone, we all win.” The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life — in SarasotaManatee, in Israel and throughout the world. In addition, the Federation is responsive when worldwide catastrophes occur. Visit www.jfedsrq.org.
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Is There a Catch?
New Mote study seeks to discover what happens after blacktip sharks are released by recreational anglers.
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products like smartphones and the Nintendo Wii — to track the movements of released fish. Attached to the dorsal fin of a shark, the tags can show scientists everything from the orientation of the fish — its pitch and roll — to how fast its tail fin is beating. The sensors can record up to 7 million data points per day for up to six days, allowing the scientists to “follow” a released fish. Dr. Paul Anderson, with The Florida Aquarium, is also drawing a blood sample from each fish to measure biochemical indicators of stress as well. In addition to finding out more about the general survival of released sharks, the scientists are also looking at any differences in survival of sharks caught on two different types of fishing hooks — J hooks vs. circle hooks. Circle hooks are thought to be easier to remove, cause fewer injuries and therefore offer the sharks a better chance for survival.
By Hayley Rutger
C
atch and release fishing is a popular sport in Florida, but no one really knows what the survival rates are for animals
after they’re released by anglers. Is catch and release fishing doing more harm to species populations than good? A new Mote study, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, seeks to change that. Dr. Nick Whitney, manager of Mote’s Behavioral Ecology and
Physiology Program, is working with a collaborator from the Florida Aquarium and a Charlotte Harbor fishing captain to determine what happens to blacktip sharks after release. “Our goal is to mimic what happens on a typical fishing trip as much as possible,” Whitney said. “So we’re working with Capt. Robert Moore, a local fishing guide, on the study. And we picked blacktip sharks because they’re commonly targeted by catch-and-release anglers.” Whitney is using accelerometers — tags with motion-sensing technology found in
Previous studies have shown that caughtand-released sharks had stress-related changes in blood chemistry, but scientists have rarely been able to relate these changes to death or impaired behavior. Studies that tracked sharks after release have only recorded their broader-scale movements. Mote scientists have been the first to deploy accelerometers on multiple shark species and have even used them to study the movements of Burmese pythons in the Everglades. This project is the first study to use accelerometers to investigate how catch-and-release fishing affects any shark species. “For the first time, we’re taking a magnifying glass to sharks’ behavior after release — to find out how strongly they’re swimming after capture and whether
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Generation
NEXT they’re rolling or listing,” Whitney said. “These measurements go way beyond ‘dead or alive.’ The vast majority of sharks may survive, but it’s important to know if their recovery time varies with different kinds of fishing gear.” The goal is to catch and tag 30 blacktip sharks and recover each tag so that the data can be collected. So far, Whitney and co-investigators, including Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the National Center for Shark Research at Mote, have caught 16 fish and recovered each tag — including one that had been found washed up on the beach by visitors who mailed it back to Mote after they returned home to South Carolina. “We won’t really be able to analyze our findings until the field studies are completed,” Whitney said. “So far, most of the animals have survived release — two have died — but all of them seem to go through a period of recovery afterward. Their swimming is subdued — they just don’t seem to have as much force behind their tail beats. And of the two sharks that did not survive, one had been caught with a circle hook and another caught with a J hook. So we can’t reach any conclusions yet on any differences between the hook types.” Whitney expects the study to wrap up by August 2013, with data being used by the Fishery Management Council. “We hope the results will offer fisheries managers scientifically based information on what happens during catch-and-release fishing that they can use to refine fishing rules if necessary,” Whitney said. “There’s a lot of speculation about what happens, but now we will have better answers. We really think this could be used as a new model for understanding catch-release mortality.”
Nick Whitney, Ph.D. “I came to Mote because of the opportunity to work in their legendary shark research program and because of the freedom that Mote offered to pursue any question that interests me.”
Nick Whitney, 34, was born and raised in Jackson, Mich. He received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and today he’s the manager of Mote’s Behavioral Ecology and Physiology Program, where he uses accelerometers to tag sharks and other species like pythons and sea turtles. But his science degree was not a sure thing. “I was fascinated with animals from an early age, and that interest was strongly encouraged by my family, especially my grandparents who were all nature lovers,” Whitney said. “But I nearly quit the sciences in my early years as an undergraduate student at Albion College. My science classes were very hard and my non-science classes were much easier for me.” Then he had the opportunity to do field work with his major professor and Mote-adjunct researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Carrier. “He took me to the Florida Keys as a research assistant on his study of nurse sharks,” Whitney said. “It was an amazing experience and I was hooked on science from that point on.” Whitney discovered accelerometers as a graduate student in Hawaii. “My adviser handed me a prototype ‘acceleration data-logger’ tag that had been sent to him to be tested on sharks. He asked me to try attaching it to some of our captive
animals, which I did. I was amazed by the data and knew that there was huge potential to apply this technology to other species and questions.” Doing well in science courses is one piece of advice he’d give to a young would-be scientist today. Another? “Read everything you can, whether it’s science or not, and practice writing well-constructed sentences and paragraphs as much as possible,” he said. “You can be a brilliant scientist with great ideas, but they won’t get you very far if you can’t communicate them well.” What keeps Whitney interested in science today? “We usually apply our tags to animals with the goal of answering a specific question, but we almost always discover very surprising things that we had no idea the animals were doing. Those unexpected surprises are the things that keep me really excited about our work.”
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Ready to Roar
Sea lions coming to Mote in December
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Plan Your Sea Lions Visit Visiting the sea lions will be included with admission to The Aquarium at Mote, which is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. Tickets are $17 for adults, $16 for seniors (over 65), $12 for kids (ages 4-12) and free for children age 3 and younger. Mote Members always get in free. The Aquarium is also planning special opportunities for visitors to get close to the sea lions. (See page 2 for events and watch www.mote.org for updates.) Mote is also offering unique partnership opportunities during this special limited-engagement exhibit. Contact Stacy Alexander at 941-388-4441, ext. 509, or stacyalexander@mote.org for information about ways your business can join with us during this showcase.
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f you thought Mote’s penguins were cool, just wait ’til you hear about our edgy new offering: Sea Lions: On the Water’s Edge.
This special limited-engagement exhibit — scheduled to open Dec. 1 and remain through April 2013 — will be the second hosted by The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory. This new exhibit follows on the major success of our first temporary exhibit, Penguin Island. Sea Lions: On the Water’s Edge will feature California and Patagonian sea lions and offer visitors a unique chance to get to know these fascinating marine mammals that spend their lives on land and in the sea. (Mote is currently offering special partnership opportunities for this fun and fascinating exhibit.) Protected by the 1972 U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, California sea lion populations have rebounded over the decades. Yet today, the species faces threats like injuries from fishing gear and marine trash, along with other complications of living close to humans. The exhibit will include information about how some of Florida’s own species — like dolphins and sea turtles — face similar threats and how Mote treats them in our animal hospitals.
By land or sea: Most Pinnipeds can hear, see and communicate both on land and underwater. They get around: Sea lions are highly agile in the water, thanks in part to their streamlined bodies and sleek fur. They might look a bit clumsy on land, but they have no trouble exploring — on Año Nuevo Island near California, sea lions have even climbed up the stairs in an old house. Have you heard? Pinnipeds tend to have fairly good hearing in the air, and in water some can hear frequencies higher than 70,000 Hz (the human hearing range is about 20 to 20,000 Hz). Sea lions and fur seals have small outer ears, while true seals do not. Touchy, touchy: Pinnipeds have highly sensitive whiskers that may connect with 10 times as many nerve fibers as the whiskers of land mammals. Whiskers help Pinnipeds sense water movements to find prey and navigate dark or murky waters. Cold water, warm heart: Pinnipeds have thick blubber, fur or both that helps them stay warm in cold water. They can also retain warmth, or disperse excess heat, through special networks of blood vessels that are intertwined for heat exchange.
Here’s a quick primer to get you ready for the opening:
“See” mammals: Most Pinnipeds have good vision in and out of the water. The retinas of their eyes may have high numbers of rods — a type of light-sensing cell — so they can see underwater at night or at depth. They even have a tapetum lucidum, a light-reflecting layer that helps the eye make better use of low light. It also causes their eyes to “glow” like a cat’s.
Sea lions belong to the scientific order Pinnipedia, along with seals, fur seals and walruses. This group name means “wingfooted” or “fin-footed” in Latin, highlighting one feature that helps these marine mammals lead astounding double lives.
Why are they called “sea lions”? Some say it’s because they have whiskers, are agile and carnivorous; others say it’s because of the roaring noises that some make — especially the males during breeding season.
Whether you’re a seafarer or landlubber, there’s a lot to love about sea lions and their kin — and the sea lions at Mote will participate in special narrated demonstrations to highlight their abilities.
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A Dolphin Rescue
By Nadine Slimak
June 6 was a hectic day for Mike and Melissa Herron and Sara Heuer. These sea turtle volunteers had finished their duties for the morning, but after severe thunderstorms traveled through the area, Mote Sea Turtle Patrol staff asked them to check on reports that a turtle nest was in danger of washing away.
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etting off to check the nest, they had no idea that they were about help rescue a stranded dolphin instead. “We checked several nests, then I decided
to walk our normal zone to check others,” Mike Herron said. “I asked my wife, Melissa, and Sara to drive to a south location and I started jogging down the beach to meet them. That’s when I came across a dolphin on the beach. I can’t describe the feelings I had when I saw her. I was so afraid she was dead.”
Then Herron saw the dolphin’s tail move. “I knew I needed to help her however I could,” he said. Cell phone in hand, Herron called Kristen Mazzarella, Volunteer Coordinator for Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol. “I was so relieved when Kristen answered. She had me describe the dolphin’s condition and gave me instructions on how to help. I called my wife and Sara to come back. Luckily, Sara had just completed the animal handler class at Mote and knew what to do.” Back at the office, Mazzarella put up the alarm and rallied help. Gretchen Lovewell, manager of Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, called on the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program for help. Sidelined from their own field research because of the weather, they secured and stabilized the dolphin on the beach until Mote’s stranding team could arrive with a sling to carry the dolphin and a truck to move her. “When the sling got there, we put the dolphin in it and we all carried her from the beach to the truck that would take her to Mote,” Herron said. The dolphin, nicknamed Edna, is a female bottlenose dolphin estimated to be about 3 years old. At about 6.5 feet long and weighing about
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170 pounds, she was underweight and suffering from pneumonia, gastritis and other medical
helping hands: Sara Heuer, Melissa and Mike Herron pay a visit to Edna at Mote’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital a few days after rescuing the sick dolphin on the beach.
problems affecting numerous organ systems. Since arriving at Mote, the dolphin has been treated around-the-clock by dedicated staff members, led by Rehabilitation and Medical Care coordinator Lynne Byrd, and countless volunteers who have spent hundreds of hours monitoring her health. It’s a prime example of the care and dedication that Mote provides to sick and injured animals. “We never know when a sick animal is going to need our help, so it’s important that we are ready to respond at a moment’s notice,” said Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, Mote president and CEO. “Having the animal hospitals ready to treat any emergency depends on the support of individuals and from foundations — these funds are critical to helping us provide these emergency resources to sick animals at a moment’s notice.”
Helping Animals In May, Mote was fortunate to receive a donation from the Sara S. Roberts Foundation for the animal hospitals at Mote. But few public dollars are available to pay for the veterinary care and medicines needed to help these protected and endangered species. We invite you to join the Foundation and Mote to help provide food, medicine and around-the-clock care for patients like Edna. Consider making a donation today at www.mote.org/ hospitalhelp or contact Mote’s Development office to pledge your support today by calling 941-388-4441, ext. 309.
Web Extra Check online for updates about Edna’s condition at www.mote.org/edna. MOTE MAGAZINE | AU T UMN 2012
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Dolphin Merits
Star Treatment
From left to right : Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, Dr. Eugenie Clark and Loretta Swit
By Hayley Rutger
Loretta Swit: “This is the essence of care and preservation: Rescue, rehab, release — keeping the species intact.”
Loretta Swit, an Emmy® Award-winning TV and theater actress famed for her role as Major Margaret Houlihan of “M*A*S*H,” toured Mote’s world-class research facilities and animal hospitals in July, paying a special visit to Edna. Swit has starred in multiple Broadway shows, toured with national theater companies, been featured in more than 25 movies and won numerous and prestigious awards. She is also a passionate animal advocate who hosted the Discovery Channel series “Those Incredible Animals,” which ran for five years and was also shown on Animal Planet and aired in 30 countries. Mote was honored to host the star. “What a graceful, gracious lady,” said Mote President and CEO Dr. Mahadevan, who was thrilled to guide Ms. Swit through the Lab. “It’s amazing that she loves all kinds of marine species, from sharks to dolphins to phytoplankton. That’s very important — all of these things are connected. A key part of Mote’s mission is to learn about the health of many species within marine ecosystems, in the interest of conservation.”
Swit is 1st Vice President of Actors and Others For Animals, an honorary Board member of The Wildlife Waystation, has served as spokesperson for various campaigns of The Humane Society of the United States, and has been named Woman of the Year by both the Animal Protection Institute and the International Fund For Animal Welfare. During the tour, she met Mote’s founder, “Shark Lady” Dr. Eugenie Clark, Mote’s leading shark and coral scientists and paid a special visit to Mote’s resident manatees, Hugh and Buffett — the world’s most highly trained manatees. Ms. Swit’s visit culminated with a tour of Mote’s hospitals for dolphins, whales and sea turtles, including a special stop to meet the sick dolphin Edna. “I’ve had a wonderful time,” Ms. Swit said. “The work you’ve done here is so wonderful, efficient and extraordinary.”
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issues & Impacts Report Calls for New Protections in the Gulf of Mexico Beyond the Horizon, a two-day workshop of scientists and stakeholders convened at Mote in 2011, has resulted in a new vision statement for the Gulf of Mexico that stakeholders hope will build consensus for creating new protected areas in one of the nation’s most important bodies of water. The report — called “Beyond the Horizon: A Vision for the Gulf of Mexico on the Second Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” along with the proceedings from the two-day workshop — were released in June during Capitol Hill Ocean Week, which examines the role of the ocean in the shaping of our nation. “The Deepwater Horizon explosion catapulted the Gulf of Mexico into the public’s consciousness,” said Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, who chaired the executive committee that produced the workshop proceedings and report. “While it is a sad — and ongoing — human tragedy and environmental disaster, perhaps it can also be a new rallying cry for our nation to come together to urge new protections and innovative economic development measures for this vital body of water.” The Gulf is physically, biologically and socially connected to the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean by the Loop Current, the Florida Current and the Gulf Stream, and by a vital network of commerce that takes place within and among the region’s nations. It is the most industrialized body of water in the world, supporting nationally prominent industries, commercial fisheries, shipping lanes and ports.
The Gulf’s ecology includes relics of shorelines and barrier islands — once above sea level, but now deep beneath its surface — that provide critical structure and habitat for the Gulf’s animal and plant species. Currents carry biological matter from one location to the other. Protecting these critical undersea islands was a key part of the workshop discussion. “While the Gulf is demonstrably a resilient large marine ecosystem, its future health will depend upon careful stewardship of its resources,” said Dr. Larry McKinney, Director of the Harte Research Institute. “We need all the tools in the management toolbox, including ecosystem-based approaches to governance and networks of marine protected areas delineating critical areas for both fisheries and biodiversity conservation. It is also important that all stakeholders be part of any process developing these tools, if it is to be successful.”
The Beyond the Horizon Workshop, presented by Mote, the Harte Research Institute, the University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences and the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, brought stakeholders together to talk about the Gulf of Mexico. The result was agreement about the need for comprehensive use and protection plans that take the Gulf’s economic and environmental connections into consideration. This image was shot on pulley ridge, a deepwater coral reef discovered off the dry tortugas. underwater “islands” like this provide vital habitat and structure for marine species in the gulf.
Web Extra: View the report online at www.mote.org/beyondhorizon.
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Sorting spots
Program seeks to uncover status of spotted eagle rays in the wild
By: Erin Holdgate
In May, Mote researchers caught this spotted eagle ray in order to measure, tag and photograph it as part of a study of spotted eagle ray populations. Researchers gather small biological samples from each ray caught in order to study each animal’s genetic makeup. Photographs of each are added to a photo-ID catalog that uses a special software program to record each animal’s spot patterns. Patterns of new catches can be compared to animals already in the catalog. The catalog includes images of the spot patterns of 330 rays. Weighing in at 232 pounds and measuring 6.5 feet from wing tip to wing tip, the ray shown above is the second-largest in the catalog. —Alison Hassard
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Web Extra Mote eagle ray researchers are asking divers to report ray sightings. Go to www. mote.org/eagleray for more information on the project and to fill out an eagle ray reporting form.
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he crew aboard Mote’s research vessel Ono V was ready for action when the first dark shadow skimmed through the turquoise waters just outside of New Pass in Sarasota Bay. In seconds, two biologists were in the water preparing to hoist the shadowy figure aboard the boat to be measured, photographed, tagged and then returned to the wild. Their catch was a 232-pound spotted eagle ray caught as part of an ongoing study to better understand the species’ prevalence and potentially develop a conservation plan for it. “Rays as a group have been almost completely overlooked in terms of ocean ecology and how the balance of organisms is maintained,” said Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the National Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory. “We want to know what role these rays play in that.” It is illegal to fish for or kill spotted eagle rays in Florida waters, but they aren’t protected under federal law and international protections are also limited.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an organization that establishes the conservation status of species worldwide, lists them as nearthreatened with a decreasing population trend. Spotted eagle rays are heavily harvested in places like Mexico, mostly as food, and this fishing pressure, combined with their low reproductive rates, make spotted eagle rays a vulnerable species. But there’s not enough information to determine how much danger they’re in. Mote’s study began in 2009 when Pete Hull, vice president of marine operations, noticed large numbers of rays in the area around the laboratory while working on other projects. The species has been observed in Southwest Florida’s coastal waters between March and November, but scientists are still unsure of the population’s size and where the animals migrate in winter. To identify where these rays move, Mote has tagged animals with traditional tags and with satellite tags that allow the rays’
movements to be followed as they travel. Mote scientists are also collaborating with researchers in Mexico to collect genetic samples from rays caught in fisheries there that are being analyzed by geneticist Anna Sellas at the California Academy of Sciences to determine population structure in the Gulf. “One of the key findings from our program so far is that some of these individuals return to the area year after year,” said Kim Bassos-Hull, co-investigator on the project. “We’re able to measure growth rates and see other changes — which has never been done before with wild, free-swimming spotted eagle rays.” Finding these answers are critical to understanding populations, Hueter said. “They’re here in the Gulf, thought to be decreasing in numbers worldwide, and are very vulnerable to exploitation. We don’t want to stand by and watch populations of this beautiful animal go downhill if they’re a migratory species protected in one place but depleted elsewhere.” MOTE MAGAZINE | AU TU MN 2012
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hand outs aren’t hands up By: Erin Holdgate
D
rawing a crowd on the water might be flattering for some anglers, but there have been times when Capt. James Klopfer hasn’t necessarily welcomed the attention.
That’s because it’s coming from dolphins waiting for him to release a fish so they can swoop in and get an easy meal. “You see them about 30 or 40 feet away, then when you hook a fish they come screaming in like a freight train,” Klopfer said. “As soon as you let the fish go, they’ll grab it. They seem to congregate near the passes, so you get more of them, which makes them more aggressive.” And sometimes the dolphins don’t even wait for Klopfer to release the fish — they grab it right off his line. Scientists with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program — the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population — have been studying the interactions between humans and dolphins for years as part of their research to understand the biology, health, behavior, ecology and the human factors that impact these animals. They say that interactions between humans and dolphins are a growing concern. Some interactions are like those described by Klopfer; in other cases it’s the humans who are doing the stalking by intentionally feeding or trying to pet wild dolphins. And the results are bad for both humans and dolphins, said Dr. Randy Wells, the Program’s director.
“When dolphins are able to get an easy meal by waiting for an angler to release a fish — or worse, from people feeding dolphins on purpose — it rewards the behavior and puts the animals at risk for getting tangled in fishing gear, getting struck by boats and even becoming unable to find food on their own,” Wells said. In 2006, the Program documented the deaths of three Sarasota Bay dolphins entangled in monofilament line, hooks and gear; others had serious injuries. So far this year, the Program has documented (and helped) one entangled dolphin in Sarasota Bay and three more that had recent wounds from being struck by boats. It’s unknown how the boat-struck dolphins will ultimately fare. The situation isn’t just bad for the dolphins, though. It also puts humans at risk. For one thing, they could face prosecution. “It’s illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to feed or harass dolphins and they could be punished under the law,” Wells said. “But humans should also realize that dolphins are large wild animals that bite. In 2011 alone, we documented that nine humans were bitten by one dolphin that spends much of its time interacting with boaters in the Intracoastal Waterway. And those are just the bites we know about.” That dolphin carries the infamous nickname “Beggar” because of his behavior of approaching boats and boaters looking for handouts. Humans who comply continue to reinforce his bad begging behavior and the humans who try to pet him without offering a snack might be bitten.
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Dr. Katie McHugh spent the spring of 2011 studying the interactions between Beggar and the boaters who came in contact with him in an effort to find new ways to deter interactions between humans and dolphins. Far left: A family feeds Beggar the dolphin. Middle: A dolphin is shown in this July 2012 photo with recent wounds from a boat propeller. Right: A dolphin calf with the tip of its dorsal fin cut off by a boat this year. The dolphin was born not long before this image was shot. Photos by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program taken under National Marine Fisheries Service Scientific Permit No. 15543.
During the study supported by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, McHugh compared how humans behaved toward Beggar in several different situations, particularly when law enforcement officers were present on the water and when they left. McHugh also looked at the effects of providing outreach materials to water-related businesses surrounding the area frequented by Beggar. The first day that the law enforcement boat was on the water, only four individuals attempted to feed Beggar; the number dropped to zero on subsequent days. With fewer people feeding him, Beggar started foraging more on his own. But when law enforcement ceased, the bad human behavior returned and Beggar started begging again. “There was no evidence that people continued to comply with the law without enforcement present,” McHugh said. Taking a different tack, McHugh decided to see what would happen when she passed out Dolphin-Friendly Fishing and Viewing Tips cards to area water-related businesses like restaurants and boat rental companies. (Previous research by the Program found a 30 percent decline in interactions after the distribution of cards.) While many of these businesses were willing to make cards available to customers, McHugh found that when they were offered alone, they had no significant impact on boater behavior. One reason could relate to timing — card recipients during this time period might have been residents already familiar with the issue. “Interestingly, some boat rental customers were clearly getting the message, though,” she said. “We observed several renters from a particularly engaged partner educating other boaters about proper behavior — that’s an encouraging finding for future outreach efforts.” The results reinforce the idea that it’s humans who need to mind their manners. “People clearly behave differently when the enforcement boat is out,” McHugh said. “Ultimately the only thing that will reduce the problem is changing human behavior.”
About Beggar Beggar is a bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, that has been frequenting a small portion of the Intracoastal Waterway in south Sarasota Bay for more than 20 years. From March to June 2011, Dr. Katie McHugh with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program spent 100 hours observing his behavior and that of the boaters who encountered him. She documented: 3,600 interactions between Beggar and humans — up to 70 per hour; 169 attempts to feed him 520 different food items — everything from shrimp and squid to beer, hot dogs and fruit; 121 attempts to touch him — resulting in nine bites to the humans doing the petting.
Web Extra Download your free “Dolphin-Friendly Fishing and Viewing Tips” card online at www.mote. org/dolphinfriendly. Watch a 30 second public service announcement about feeding dolphins online at www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org.
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1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL 34236-1004 (941) 388-4441 www.mote.org
how boomers become mote donors:
Rande Ridenour
“Every day, I help people plan for their futures... I like the fact that Mote helps the world plan for the future of our oceans.” Sarasota’s Rande Ridenour of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney was just a kid when he first met Mote Marine Laboratory. Back then, the Lab was on Siesta Key, and its founding director Genie Clark was just earning her nickname, “The Shark Lady.” As he grew up, Rande became an ardent boater, diver and all-around waterman. Eventually, he had children of his own and shared his love of the sea with his family through membership at Mote. Four years ago, Rande decided to dedicate even more time to supporting the organization that had been such an important part of his ocean education.
Today, he’s a proud volunteer and Chairman of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Advisory Council — as he puts it, one of the Lab’s chief ambassadors to the community. As a member and a donor, Rande is working to support the organization’s scientific contributions and its education initiatives. If, like Rande, you want to support Mote’s programs, consider a Charitable Remainder Unit Trust, a good option for younger donors. It provides a stream of income while you live and leaves Mote a generous gift as the remainder beneficiary.
There are many ways you can add your solid financial support to Mote. For a start, talk to Ann Hayes, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, at 941-388-4441, ext. 261, or e-mail plannedgiving@mote.org.
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