- 69 - 



the species does not occur uniformly throughout its range 

 and a number of more or less discrete or "local" populations 

 may exist. If so, repeated captures and removal of animals from 

 certain areas could have an adverse effect on these local 

 populations. Such effects could be compounded by disturbance 

 and environmental degradation resulting from coastal development, 

 offshore oil and gas development, or other human activities. 



The National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible 

 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for assuring that 

 live-captures and removals do not have significant adverse 

 effects on bottlenose dolphin populations. In 1977, the 

 Service, in consultation with the Commission, developed and 

 adopted a system for regulating the number of bottlenose 

 dolphins to be taken annually from various areas. The 

 following year, again in consultation with the Commission, 

 the Service convened a workshop to define the information 

 needed to accurately identify and assess the status of 

 populations that may have already been affected by the 

 removal of animals and to better determine how many and 

 which animals could be taken from various areas without 

 causing populations to be reduced below their optimum sustainable 

 levels. Subsequently, the Southeast Fisheries Center of the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service developed a long-range 

 plan for assessing and monitoring the number, age/sex 

 composition, and productivity of dolphins in areas where 

 past and current collection activities were focused. 



In February 1983, members of the Commission and its 

 Committee of Scientific Advisors met with representatives of 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service and others to review 

 the Service's research and management program for bottlenose 

 dolphins in the southeastern United States. The review 

 indicated that the program was properly oriented and well- 

 directed, but that additional steps should be taken to 

 better assure that local populations of bottlenose dolphins 

 were not being affected adversely by takings and other human 

 activities . 



By letter of 16 March 1983 to the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, the Commission recommended: (1) that the 

 Southeast Fisheries Center be commended for its ongoing 

 efforts to develop an effective research/monitoring program; 

 (2) that available survey data be assessed for evidence of 

 seasonality and, where found, quotas be based on the minimum 

 rather than average population counts or estimates; and (3) 

 that planned surveys be modified or expanded to monitor 

 bottlenose dolphin abundance in areas where live captures 

 and removals were being permitted as well as to provide 



