It quickly became so popular that the existing staff couldn’t validate the sightings being reported. Marine Species Monitoring. Dr. Helen Bailey, a research associate professor with the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, displays an underwater microphone used to detect dolphin calls in the bay. This website serves as an online portal for information on the background, history, and progress of the program, as well as provides access to reports, documentation, data, and updates on current monitoring projects. Conservation Through Research and Education The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project's (PCDP) mission is to better understand and protect the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. The information collected through Chesapeake Dolphin Watch will help scientists decide where to place more microphones. Their early findings suggest more dolphins … That’s where Jamie Testacame in. (Kim Hairston / … The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project contributes and compares data and images of dorsal fins with other scientists up and down the Atlantic Seaboard through a central database of dorsal fin images (OBIS-SEAMAP). Association (A & C) and synchrony (B & D) networks for two bottlenose dolphins (data taken from the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project for illustrative purposes). Published reports of sightings date back into the 1800s. Scientists are focused on determining how many dolphins are in the Bay, when they appear, why those sightings have increased, and in which rivers and tributaries these benevolent mammals are most active. Copyright © 2019-2020 www.chesapeakeliving.com. Using network modeling techniques, we plan to investigate both transmission mechanism and compare simulated outbreaks to actual stranding data in order to elucidate the most likely mechanism of transmission. Odocoileus virginianus Very little is known about the common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trunctaus) that inhabit the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Our interest in this work stems from the recent 2013–2015 Unusual Mortality Event, in which there was a near 4-fold increase in dolphin strandings up and down the mid-Atlantic coast, with the largest increase (>400 animals) occurring in the Chesapeake Bay region. Welcome to the US Navy's Marine Species Monitoring Program website. Besides the surveys, the only major source of information about Bay dolphins in the Chesapeake comes from the handful of reports each year to the marine mammal stranding programs in Maryland and Virginia, which rescue beached animals and research those that are recovered dead. This is an extremely high sighting rate, indicating a high density of dolphins the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. “Lots of dolphin sighting by the Bay Bridge,” according to UMCES. What we found was quite surprising! By 2018, we have nearly 1000 individuals documented in the Potomac River. PHOTO BY JEFF VARNON Dolphins will come in … Tursiops truncatus. They feed on a variety of prey, including fish and squid. Ongoing research by the Potomac-Cheseapeake Dolphin Project—the first of … 3), when two or more dolphins surface and breathe at the same time in close proximity to each other. Join us as she shares where and when dolphins are being sighted and … The information will be gathered in a database that scientists can use to further their research. What Bay Crabs Used to Look Like — A Huge 9-inch Blue Crab. Another major aim of the PCDP is to understand the population structure of the Potomac-Chesapeake bottlenose dolphins. Shipping map taken from www.marinetraffic.com. In fact, humans are affected by a type of morbillivirus, better known as the measles. 4D shows much greater synchrony than the one represented in 4B). Virginia’s Hidden (Chesapeake Bay) Beaches, Rock Hall -> Eastern Neck Island: Overview, St. Michaels -> Neavitt Landing Bike Route: Overview. “We know very little about them,” says UMCES DolphinWatch. But as pollution degraded the … People can learn more about dolphins in the Potomac-Chesapeake area by visiting the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project’s website or by contacting us at pcdolphinproject@gmail.com. DOLPHIN R ESEARCH C ENTER, 58901 Overseas Hwy, Grassy Key, FL 33050 (305) 289 -1121 www.dolphins.org Grade Level: 6th-8 th Objectives: Students will be able to identify human causes of environmental degradation in They’ve created an app for people to report sightings. But this year, there seems to be more dolphins than anyone can remember, and over a greater expanse of the bay. Related News Follow shark catchers (and their prey) online “We see quite a few more dolphins than we do in Shark Bay, let’s say, for an hour’s worth of research,” said Patterson at NOAA. As defined by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), there are at least two, maybe three populations (stocks) of dolphins that might visit the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries: the Northern Migratory Stock, the Southern Migratory Stock, and possibly the South Carolina-Georgia Coastal Stock. Bottlenose Dolphin. With the dolphins identified, scientists can determine where the dolphins are coming from and going to. “When, where and why do they visit the Bay? The suspected cause of this mortality event is a type of morbillivirus, a genus of viruses that affects a variety of animals worldwide. Dolphins have spotted in more than 170 locations, in big and small pods (groups). Pollution reduction goals are in place to better the Bay's water quality, which aids the growth of underwater grasses and decreases the Bay's dead zones. Scientists say dolphins used to visit the bay more frequently. Visits the Chesapeake Bay in summer, and is most often seen in the lower Chesapeake Bay near Cape Charles and the James and Elizabeth rivers. STATUS Protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 identifies humans as their greatest threat and prevents any resulting future depletion. A little fixer-upper opportunity. ... a research professor with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. One way to help determine which population the PC dolphins belong to is through what is called Photo ID. Chesapeake Bay map of dolphins reported, maintainly in the central and lower bay. However, it is also possible that dolphins contract the virus through direct contact with an infected individual, which is likely to occur simply by being in close proximity, regardless of breathing synchrony (Fig. Figure 3. Trichechus manatus. It is thought that during such events dolphins may exchange infectious respiratory droplets. Our understanding of this recent morbillivirus outbreak is somewhat hindered by our understanding of how the disease spreads in wild animals. Map of dolphin sightings from 2015 (left, blue dolphin symbols represent a dolphin sightings) and shipping traffic from 2013–2014 (right, colors reflect a heat map, from green to red, of shipping traffic). But as pollution degraded the Chesapeake’s water quality through the 20th century, they became more rare. He counted almost 50 in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Specify “DolphinWatch” with your donation. Chesapeake Bay Foundation Islands Field Senior Manager Jeff Varnon captured this close-up of dolphins swimming close to a boat on the Bay. Two of the most basic pieces of information needed about any wild animal population is: how many of them are there and where are they? Two bottlenose dolphins in the Potomac River, surfacing in almost perfect synchrony. Donate to the project today! DolphinWatch was launched the beginning of July and they’re looking for reports on DolphinWatch.org and photos for their Instagram and Facebook accounts. Chillin' Out. The correlation between a healthy dolphin population and a healthy Bay can be attributed to the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. Dolphins were reported in the Lower Bay nearly year-round. In just 14 days on the water and ~73 hours of observation we identified 193 unique individuals, including 27 mother-calf pairs, 2 additional suspected adult females, 53 suspected adult males, and several juvenile dolphins of unknown sex. Now researchers in Maryland and Virginia are undertaking the first comprehensive studies of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay. Figure 1. Ann-Marie Jacoby is the Associate Director of the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project, a PhD student at Duke University, and a National Geographic Young Explorer.She is interested in better understanding which bottlenose dolphin populations use the Potomac-Chesapeake area, as well as their temporal and geographic distribution in the Potomac to develop more effective management. The DolphinWatchappwas launched by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciencein 2017 to provide a way to report sightings — and gather data — of dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay. We are also interested in understanding whether the dolphins are experiencing a rapid change in their preferred habitat due to sea-level rise, which in the Chesapeake Bay is twice the global average. Map; Updates; My Sightings; My Account; Info; Donate; Viewing Tips Doing so will help us better understand what population(s) of dolphins are visiting the Chesapeake Bay region, where they go during the winter (bottlenose dolphins are usually only found in the Chesapeake Bay area during warmer months), and how they fit into the greater Atlantic bottlenose dolphins population structures. Here’s a presentation with Dr. Bailey about their efforts to track dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay. Lines indicate connections based on either associations or synchronous breathing and the thickness of the lines indicates the strength of the connections. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The Chesapeake Bay has dolphins swimming through even during years when times were tough for crabs and oysters. Procyon lotor White-tail Deer. We need your help to find out!”. The PCDP was established in 2015 by Professor Janet Mann of Georgetown University. (Courtesy UMCES) Dr. Helen Bailey and her team at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science think dolphin numbers are up in the bay… Some dolphins may venture as far north as Baltimore Harbor, the Chester River and Washington, D.C. The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project (PCDP) is seeking two dedicated research assistants for the upcoming fall field season (September 3rd to October 23rd, 2019) in Heathsville, Virginia, USA. While the PCDP research is broadly concerned with better understanding all aspects of these animal's biology, we are focusing our initial efforts on a few key areas. Fun. commonly hunt in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Bottlenose dolphins are frequently spotted in the Chesapeake Bay during the summer with reports of them leaping in the air or bow riding boats. The Inside Scoop on the Chesapeake Bay — Adventure. The White House has a new occupant, but there are still dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Published reports of sightings date back into the 1800s. Amber Fandel, Research Analyst with the Chesapeake Biological Lab has been investigating dolphin behavior as part of conservation efforts across the U.S. since 2012. Phoca vitulina. Circles represent individual dolphins with the colored circles representing the two individuals (blue, red) for which networks were constructed. A third major aim of our initial work with the PCDP is to better understand how variation in social behavior affects an individual's likelihood of spreading and contracting disease. Report and view sightings on our iPhone and Android Chesapeake DolphinWatch app. They swing through the bay during the summer, and there have been reports of dolphins leaping in the air or bow-riding boats. Thus, if a dolphin is particularly synchronous, it may be at greater risk of both spreading and contracting a morbillivirus-like disease (e.g., the dolphin in Fig. While these seems like fairly straightforward questions, for migratory animals, coming up with the answers is quite difficult. Some are returning year after year. Coastal bottlenose dolphins populations (stocks) according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 4A & 4C). A website version of our dolphin tracker is available at: chesapeakedolphinwatch.org. In 2015 (July – October) the PCDP began collecting initial data on the location and number of dolphins in an ~37 square km area near the mouth of the Potomac River. Dr. Helen Bailey and her team at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science  think dolphin numbers are up in the bay, but they want to be scientific about it. It is illegal to approach or harass wild dolphins, though they are curious creatures that will approach boats and humans, often Since a Chesapeake Dolphin Watch website launched at the end of June, 1,200 people have signed up and reported more than 500 dolphin sightings, often of 10 or more of the mammals at once. Harbor Seal. Rare opportunity to buy a Chesapeake Bay lighthouse. Raccoon. All rights reserved. UMCES is also looking for money to maintain the new database and $2,000 to buy a device to listen for dolphin sounds. View my sightings. Following a dolphin die-off in the Bay caused by a virus outbreak, Mann and her research team launched the first-ever formal study of the local population in 2015. The PCDP aims to better understand and protect the bottlenose dolphins of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Amber Fandel, Research Analyst with the Chesapeake Biological Lab has been investigating dolphin behavior as part of conservation efforts across the U.S. since 2012. Figure 4. For comparison, in Shark Bay, Australia, which is thought to have one of the highest densities of bottlenose dolphins in the world, with similar research effort one would expect to see less than half as many dolphins (~80). on bottlenose dolphins in the Potomac-Chesapeake region. As of July 15, people on the Bay have reported 500 sightings using the DolphinWatch smartphone app, compared to 400 at the same time last year. It researches the dolphin’s … Toggle navigation. The Chesapeake Bay’s Spice: Old Bay or J.O.? West Indian Manatee. It’s usually be bottlenose dolphins, which can be 300-1,200 pounds  and 9 to 12 feet in length when they’re adults. Scientists say dolphins used to visit the bay more frequently. One possible way is through what is called synchronous breathing (Fig. © 2017 Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project. Dolphin sightings are becoming more frequent in the Bay and its major tributaries. Dolphins are loving #ChesBay. This tracker includes the ability to view the locations of recent and past dolphin sightings on a map and provides information about dolphins and the Chesapeake Bay. The web-based app allows users to report dolphin sightings in the Chesapeake Bay. Dolphins might be more common and wide-ranging in the Chesapeake Bay than once thought, if recent reports from citizen spotters are any indication. Figure 2. Never Heard of J.O.. A Vampire Movie Made in Annapolis. Indeed, dolphin sights have been abundant this summer, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Lab’s Chesapeake DolphinWatch program. That effort grew into the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project, which today surveys the social and super-smart mammals from May through October in about 14 square miles of the Potomac. We found dolphins in most of Chesapeake Bay In 2017 and 2018 dolphin sightings were seasonally stratified in Chesapeake Bay, meaning that dolphins were seen in different portions of the bay in different months. Mann, vice provost for research and a professor in the biology and psychology departments, and Eric Patterson, an assistant research professor of biology, are co-directing the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project, designed to better understand and protect the bottlenose dolphins of the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. Horrors! While bottlenose dolphins are a well-studied species, there is much to learn about their presence in the Chesapeake Bay. See where they've been spotted & report your own sightings with @DolphinWatch_CB https://t.co/eQFqoaFDOl pic.twitter.com/8O2ADfgr3T. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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