Opportunistic Sightings of Bottlenose Dolphin, 'Tursiops truncatus', along theSoutheast Florida Coast and Florida Bay, 1992-1997

摘要

The bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, is the most common cetacean speciesfound in nearshore waters of the Florida Keys and in Florida Bay. Opportunistic sightings from aerial surveys provide rought estimates of the relative abundance of bottlenose dolphin in these waters. These surveys have been conducted along the southeast Florida coast since September 1992 to document vessel usage in the Keys and since March 1995 to census bird populations in the Florida Bay. Sightings of 1,851 bottlenose dolphins occurred in 109 surveys from inception through December 1997. Herd sizes, seasonality, and encounter rates were compared between the two areas, as well as with previous studies in nearby areas.