Abundance Estimate of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Charleston Estuarine System Stock
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Robert Young
Other Mentors
Additional Mentors: Dani Silva and Francesca Roselli, Marine Science
Major
Marine Science
Minor
Psychology
Presentation Abstract
An abundance estimate for the Charleston Estuarine System Stock (CESS) of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was last determined based on abundance surveys conducted between 2004 and 2006. Estimates greater than eight years old are not accepted for the stock assessment reports, required under the amended 1994 Marine Mammal Protection Act. The goal of this study was to generate an updated abundance estimate for the CESS. Photo-identification surveys were conducted from May to early October 2017, spanning from Price Inlet, SC to the North Edisto River, SC. Dorsal fin photographs and survey data were managed using the program FinBase and closed-population stock abundance was estimated using program R's package Rcapture, using only dorsal fin photographs meeting criteria for fin distinctiveness and photographic quality. A preliminary estimate based on analysis of three of the six surveys yielded an abundance estimate of 738 dolphins (95% C.I. 519-1049, CV-0.18).
Course
MSCI 396
External Presentation
1
Location
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
Start Date
17-4-2019 4:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2019 6:30 PM
Disciplines
Oceanography
Recommended Citation
Renauer, Lola, "Abundance Estimate of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Charleston Estuarine System Stock" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 41.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/poster/41
Abundance Estimate of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Charleston Estuarine System Stock
Lib Jackson Student Union, Atrium
An abundance estimate for the Charleston Estuarine System Stock (CESS) of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was last determined based on abundance surveys conducted between 2004 and 2006. Estimates greater than eight years old are not accepted for the stock assessment reports, required under the amended 1994 Marine Mammal Protection Act. The goal of this study was to generate an updated abundance estimate for the CESS. Photo-identification surveys were conducted from May to early October 2017, spanning from Price Inlet, SC to the North Edisto River, SC. Dorsal fin photographs and survey data were managed using the program FinBase and closed-population stock abundance was estimated using program R's package Rcapture, using only dorsal fin photographs meeting criteria for fin distinctiveness and photographic quality. A preliminary estimate based on analysis of three of the six surveys yielded an abundance estimate of 738 dolphins (95% C.I. 519-1049, CV-0.18).