Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are the most common marine mammal in the coastal and estuarine waters near Cape Lookout and Beaufort, NC. North Carolinians have related to dolphins in a variety of ways ranging from commercial dolphin net fisheries (late 1700s-1920s, used primarily for oil, leather, and fertilizer) to conservation of this depleted and federally protected population. Today, threats to dolphins include unintentional entanglement in commercial and recreational fishing gear, ingestion of litter, contamination of food sources, boat strikes, and intentional (but illegal) feeding of dolphin by boaters.

     Researchers at the NC Maritime Museum have been using photo-identification since 1985 to study the local bottlenose dolphins. We have been able to monitor the annual presence of individual dolphins, and through collaborations with neighboring researchers at VA Marine Science Museum, Nags Head Dolphin Watch, National Marine Fisheries Service, Duke Marine Lab, UNC-Wilm., and Sea World-Orlando, we have tracked the movements of individuals as far south as central Florida and as far north as Long Island, NY. We are also currently studying association patterns and reproductive rates of known dolphins.