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SEFSC Metadata Library > Marine Mammal and Turtle Division > SEFSC Marine Mammal Projects > Marine Mammals Miami > Biscayne Bay Dolphin Photo ID System >

Biscayne Bay Dolphin Photo ID System

Data Set (DS)  |  Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:7802  |  Updated: March 4, 2026  |  Published / External 
Short Citation:
Full Citation Examples
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 2026: Biscayne Bay Dolphin Photo ID System, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/7802.

Item Identification

Title: Biscayne Bay Dolphin Photo ID System
Short Name: Dolphin Photo ID Data
Status: Completed
Abstract:

It has been shown through a variety of photo-identification studies that populations of bottlenose dolphin inhabit the various embayments along the coast of Florida. Knowledge of population stock structure is critical to developing management plans and understanding how stressors impact individual populations. Researchers have found that photo-identification is one of the best ways to study populations of bottlenose dolphin in near shore environments. Unlike aerial and ship-board surveys, individual dolphins can be identified and tracked temporally and spatially, giving investigators a more comprehensive picture of population stock structure
Purpose:

The bottlenose dolphin is a heterogenous species found throughout temperate and tropical waters. In past years, aerial surveys, photo-identification studies, and, more recently, genetic studies have begun to divide this worldwide species into population stocks. In 1998, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reported to the Marine Mammal Commission that there appears to be at least four discrete population stocks of bottlenose dolphin in the U.S. Atlantic waters:
Supplemental Information:

Dolphin sighting surveys are conducted by boat. Environmental conditions are recorded and linked back to sightings of individuals, which are identified by photos, which are also stored in an Oracle database.

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
None abundance
None distribution
None dolphin
None environmental data
None fisheries-independent data
None protected species
None survey data

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
None Biscayne Bay

Physical Location

Organization: Southeast Fisheries Science Center
City: Miami
State/Province: FL
Country: USA
Location Description:

Location Of The Main Office Of The South East Fisheries Science Center

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Maintenance Frequency: None Planned
Data Presentation Form: Table (digital)

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 284797
Date Effective From: 1990
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Garrison, Lance
Address: 75 Virginia Beach Dr
Miami, FL 33149
Email Address: Lance.Garrison@noaa.gov
Phone: 305-361-4488
Fax: 305-361-4478
Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST/EDT
Contact Instructions:

Contact by email preferred.

Distributor

CC ID: 284798
Date Effective From: 1990
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)
Address: 75 Virginia Beach Drive
Miami, FL 33149
USA
ROR: https://ror.org/0396y0w87
Phone: (305)361-5761
URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center
Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
Contact Instructions:

Contact by email preferred.

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 282007
Date Effective From: 1990
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Garrison, Lance
Address: 75 Virginia Beach Dr
Miami, FL 33149
Email Address: Lance.Garrison@noaa.gov
Phone: 305-361-4488
Fax: 305-361-4478
Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST/EDT
Contact Instructions:

Contact by email preferred.

Point of Contact

CC ID: 282008
Date Effective From: 1990
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Garrison, Lance
Address: 75 Virginia Beach Dr
Miami, FL 33149
Email Address: Lance.Garrison@noaa.gov
Phone: 305-361-4488
Fax: 305-361-4478
Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST/EDT
Contact Instructions:

Contact by email preferred.

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground Condition

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 284803
W° Bound: -80.5
E° Bound: -80.1
N° Bound: 25.9
S° Bound: 25.18
Description

Atlantic Ocean, U.S. South

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 284802
Time Frame Type: Continuing
Start: 1990

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Policy:

To fishery Scientists and other qualified researchers upon request.
Data Access Procedure:

Contact someone who has one of the support roles
Data Access Constraints:

None
Data Use Constraints:

Data set is not for use in litigation. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentations caused by inaccuracies in these data, or as a result of these data being used on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does distribution constitute any such warranty
Metadata Access Constraints:

none
Metadata Use Constraints:

none

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 284805
Download URL: https://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/mammals/photos.htm
Distributor: Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) (1990 - Present)
Description:

ONLINE RESOURCE
Review Status: Not Chked

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 44178
URL: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html
Description:

Beufort wind scale

Technical Environment

Description:

Oracle Database

Data Quality

Quality Control Procedures Employed:

Visual sightings and effort data are reviewed and verified by field leads after each survey day. Identifications of individual animals are reviewed and verified by multiple indivisuals using tools within the FinBase database system. Key entered data are verified by comparison to written data sheets.

Data Management

Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: No
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: 0
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: Yes
If Distributor (Data Hosting Service) is Needed, Please Indicate: No
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: 365
If Delay is Longer than Latency of Automated Processing, Indicate Under What Authority Data Access is Delayed:

This data is currently wavered under the current NOAA guidelines for relational databases.
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: To Be Determined
If To Be Determined, Unable to Archive, or No Archiving Intended, Explain:

When ways to deal with archive of still images have been developed, then this dataset may be archived.
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: 365
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?:

The data resides on a secure database server only accessible through the NMFS network requiring separate multi-factor authentication for both network and database access.

Lineage

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 284804
Description:

Data are collected on paper data sheets in the field which are then key-entered into database systems. Collected photographs are are reviewed and individual dolphins are identified and compared to previous images of indivudals wthin the catalog. These identifications are then reviewed and verified.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 7802
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:7802
Metadata Record Created By: Lee M Weinberger
Metadata Record Created: 2008-08-11 14:12+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2026-03-04 19:17+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2021-04-29
Owner Org: SEFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2021-04-29
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2022-04-29