through its east-west axis, with fringing shallows of less than 2 m. Region 4 is the 

 continuation of Charlotte Harbor to the north and east, to the mouths of the Peace 

 and Myakka Rivers. The open waters of the north-south axis of Charlotte Harbor 

 are generally 3 m to 7 m deep, with fringing shallows of less than 2 m depth. 

 Freshwater inflow from the rivers varies seasonally, but continues year-round. 

 Little development is evident except at the mouths of the rivers, especially the town 

 oi Punta Gorda on the Peace River. Region 5 includes the shallow waters to the 

 south between Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Thus region includes 

 numerous sandy shoals and small mangrove islands, with channels through some 

 oi the shoals and seagrass meadows. Depths average less than 2 m in most areas, 

 ranging up to 3 m to 4 m in the channels. Low levels of residential development 

 occur on some of the islands. 



Survey Schedule 



A two- to three-week window during August was selected to provide ample 

 opportunitv to fully survey each region oi the study area at least three to five times. 

 This timing was selected for several reasons. Late summer historically brought a 

 period of calm weather, providing a window of favorable survey conditions before 

 the cold fronts begin to penetrate southward into central Florida. The timing was 

 also considered to be advantageous for natality estimates. In adjacent waters to the 

 north, most of the year's calves were born by late summer (Wells et al. 1987; Urian 

 et al. in press). Based on an assumption of similar patterns of reproductive 

 seasonality, it seemed that a late summer survey would provide the best estimate of 

 numbers of calves born during that year (young-of-the-year). 



Additional information on the occurrence of identifiable dolphins in 

 Charlotte Harbor was provided bv occasional surveys during other times of the year. 

 Data from outside of the NMFS survey period each year were not included in 

 quantitative analyses for this report, but provided perspective. 



Field Techniques and Logistics 



Surveys were conducted from 6-7-m outboard-powered boats. Two or, during 

 later years, three boats were used during each survey Each boat was equipped with a 

 VHF radio, depth sounder, compass, thermometer, and eventually a hand-held 

 LORAN. Survey crews ranged in size from two to six people per boat. Survey 

 routes were selected each day based on predicted weather conditions and the status 

 of survey coverage. While searching for dolphin schools, the boats were operated at 

 the slowest possible speed that would still allow the vessel to plane, typically 33 to 46 

 km/hr, depending on the vessel. Once schools were encountered, the boats were 

 slowed to match the speed of the dolphins and moved parallel to the schools to 

 obtain photographs. 



Every dolphin school encountered along a survey route was approached for 

 photographs. We remained with each dolphin school until we were satisfied that 

 we had photographed the dorsal fin oi each member of the school, or until 

 conditions precluded complete coverage of the group. A suite of data including 



