From June 18-20, members of the CARMMHA research team met at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago to discuss preliminary findings from last year’s field efforts. Drs. Randall Wells and Kathleen Colegrove hosted the meeting in the Great Bear Wilderness classroom, where we were occasionally joined by Hudson the polar bear (a marine mammal!) watching our … Read more
Protecting Our Marine Mammals: Manatees, Dolphins and Whales Gulf Shores Cultural Center, University of South Alabama, Gulf Coast Campus, Annual Distinguished Lecture Series More than 50 local residents attended the USA Gulf Coast Campus Distinguished Lecture by CARMMHA Co-PI, Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael in January. Attendees learned about the threats to marine mammals in northern … Read more
During 2018, the CARMMHA team and our collaborators successfully and safely captured, satellite tagged, and released 39 dolphins (20 in Barataria Bay, LA and 19 in the waters around Dauphin Island, AL). The 20 dolphins tagged in Barataria Bay provided information that complimented much of what we know about dolphin movements from the previous 65 … Read more
The one-day sampling cruise in Mobile Bay coupled CARMMHA data collection with a field experience for Dr. Carmichael’s undergraduate Marine Invertebrate Zoology class. Summers on Dauphin Island always seem to be a bit busier than other Gulf Coast beach destinations, with the research and educational activities of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) adding to … Read more
CARMMHA hosted its first Dolphin Health Educational Workshop at the Girl Scout Headquarters in San Diego, CA! CARMMHA scientists and educators reached over 40 girls along with their parents from around San Diego at our very first Dolphin Health Workshop. The workshop began with a brief presentation on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its effect … Read more
The weather is starting to become less predictable here in Barataria Bay, and the CARMMHA field team is working abbreviated hours to avoid thunderstorms. We’re hoping we get a nice day on Friday, but the next few days look stormy. Luckily, we’re on a good pace for the number of dolphins we’re hoping to study. … Read more
The CARMMHA field team is feeling refreshed after our day off! We had some personnel turnover during the weekend, some folks could only be with us the first, or the second, week. Drs. Lori Schwacke and Cynthia Smith held a second welcome/training information session for the new arrivals. Today, we ran into our first bit … Read more
In addition to collecting ultrasound images, echocardiography, and blood/tissue samples, our field biologists use the capture-release opportunities to attach satellite tags to some of the animals.
The Barataria Bay fieldwork went smoothly today for the CARMMHA team. We captured, assessed, and released four animals just off of Grand Isle, LA. We had a little bit of engine trouble, which isn’t surprising with a fleet of 8 vessels on the water each day, so we had to rearrange some of the crews … Read more
It was a hot day out in Barataria Bay, but with no wind and slick conditions, we could easily see dolphins as they rose above the water’s glassy surface. Today we patrolled the waters around Fifi Island and Grand Terre. We left yesterday’s blog with the animals safely in our expert dolphin handlers’ hands with … Read more
It can take anywhere from 4-10 dolphin handlers to safely hold a dolphin and keep them as comfortable as possible while the highly skilled veterinary team assess the individual and collect samples.
The CARMMHA team of 60 biologists, veterinarians, and field personnel began its second dolphin health assessment of the year in the waters just north of Grand Isle, LA. In this series of updates, we describe some of the many activities that must come together for a successful dolphin health assessment. We will also provide a … Read more