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Summary

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270057

Description

The social structure of estuarine-resident bottlenose dolphins is complex and varied. Residing in habitats often utilized for resource exploitation, dolphins are at risk due to anthropogenic pressures while still federally protected. Effective conservation is predicated upon accurate abundance estimates. In North Carolina, two estuarine-resident stocks (demographically independent groups) of common bottlenose dolphin have been designated using spatiotemporal criteria. Both stocks are subjected to bycatch in fishing gear. The southern North Carolina estuarine stock was estimated at <200 individuals from surveys in 2006, which is outdated per US guidelines. Thus, we conducted a new capture-mark-recapture survey in 2018, identifying 547 distinct individuals, about three times higher than the prior abundance estimate. We compared those individuals to our long-term photo-identification catalog (1995-2018, n=2,423 individuals), matching 228 individuals. Of those 228, 65 were also included in the 2013 abundance estimate for the northern North Carolina estuarine stock. Using sighting histories for all individuals in the long-term catalog, we conducted a social network analysis, which is independent of a priori stock assignments. The three primary clusters identified were inconsistent with current stock designations and not defined by spatiotemporal distribution. All three clusters had sighting histories in the estuary and on the coast, however, that with the highest within-cluster associations appeared to use estuarine waters more often. The within-cluster association strength was low for one cluster, possibly due to only part of that cluster inhabiting the southern North Carolina estuarine system. Between-cluster differences occurred in infestation rates by the pseudostalked barnacle, Xenobalanus globicipitis, but that did not predict clusters. We suggest the need to re-evaluate the stock structure of estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina and currently have insufficient information to assign an abundance estimate to a currently designated stock.

Document Information

Document Type
Journal article

Document Format
Acrobat Portable Document Format

Publication Date
2022-08-15

Contact Information

No contact information is available for this record.

Please contact the owner organization (SEFSC) for inquiries on this record.

Item Identification

Title: Patterns of association and distribution of estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in North Carolina, USA.
Short Name: Estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina
Status: Completed
Publication Date: 2022-08-15
Abstract:

The social structure of estuarine-resident bottlenose dolphins is complex and varied. Residing in habitats often utilized for resource exploitation, dolphins are at risk due to anthropogenic pressures while still federally protected. Effective conservation is predicated upon accurate abundance estimates. In North Carolina, two estuarine-resident stocks (demographically independent groups) of common bottlenose dolphin have been designated using spatiotemporal criteria. Both stocks are subjected to bycatch in fishing gear. The southern North Carolina estuarine stock was estimated at <200 individuals from surveys in 2006, which is outdated per US guidelines. Thus, we conducted a new capture-mark-recapture survey in 2018, identifying 547 distinct individuals, about three times higher than the prior abundance estimate. We compared those individuals to our long-term photo-identification catalog (1995-2018, n=2,423 individuals), matching 228 individuals. Of those 228, 65 were also included in the 2013 abundance estimate for the northern North Carolina estuarine stock. Using sighting histories for all individuals in the long-term catalog, we conducted a social network analysis, which is independent of a priori stock assignments. The three primary clusters identified were inconsistent with current stock designations and not defined by spatiotemporal distribution. All three clusters had sighting histories in the estuary and on the coast, however, that with the highest within-cluster associations appeared to use estuarine waters more often. The within-cluster association strength was low for one cluster, possibly due to only part of that cluster inhabiting the southern North Carolina estuarine system. Between-cluster differences occurred in infestation rates by the pseudostalked barnacle, Xenobalanus globicipitis, but that did not predict clusters. We suggest the need to re-evaluate the stock structure of estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina and currently have insufficient information to assign an abundance estimate to a currently designated stock.

Other Citation Details:

Citation: Hohn AA, Gorgone AM, Byrd BL, Shertzer KW, Eguchi T (2022) Patterns of association and distribution of estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in North Carolina, USA. PLoS ONE 17(8): e0270057. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270057

DOI (Digital Object Identifier): 10.1371/journal.pone.0270057
DOI Issue Date: 2022-08-15

Document Information

Document Type: Journal article
Format: Acrobat Portable Document Format
Status Code: Published

Support Roles

Author

CC ID: 1187083
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Hohn, Aleta
Address: 101 Pivers Island Road
Beaufort, NC 28156
Email Address: aleta.hohn@noaa.gov
Phone: 252-728-8797
Fax: 252-728-8784
URL: Aleta Hohn Google Scholar Page

Co-Author

CC ID: 1187087
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Eguchi, Tomo
Address: 8901 La Jolla Shores Dr
La Jolla, CA 92037
USA
Email Address: Tomo.Eguchi@noaa.gov
Phone: (858) 546-5615
Fax: (858) 546-7003
Business Hours: M-F 8:00 - 16:30

Co-Author

CC ID: 1187086
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Gorgone, Antoinette M
Address: 101 Pivers Island Road
Beaufort, NC 28516-9722
Email Address: annie.gorgone@noaa.gov
Phone: (252) 728-8601
Fax: (252) 728-8784

Co-Author

CC ID: 1187084
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Byrd, Barbie
Email Address: barbie.byrd@ncdenr.gov
Phone: 252-726-7021

Co-Author

CC ID: 1187085
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Shertzer, Kyle
Address: 101 Pivers Island Rd
Beaufort, NC 28516
Email Address: kyle.shertzer@noaa.gov
Phone: 252-728-8607
Fax: 252-728-8784

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 1187082
URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270057
Name: Access to Article via its doi
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

Hohn AA, Gorgone AM, Byrd BL, Shertzer KW, Eguchi T (2022) Patterns of association and distribution of estuarine-resident common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in North Carolina, USA. PLoS ONE 17(8): e0270057.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 67355
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:67355
Metadata Record Created By: Lee M Weinberger
Metadata Record Created: 2022-06-08 10:05+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2023-09-27 12:04+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2022-06-09
Owner Org: SEFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2022-06-09
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2023-06-09