About - Sarasota Dolphin Research Program Skip to content ABOUT About Us People Chicago Zoological Society Contact Us Job Opportunities OUR IMPACT Unparalleled Research Publications Biology Health & Physiology Behavior Social Structure Communication Population Structure Ecology Tools & Techniques GoMDIS HELPING DOLPHINS Helping Dolphins Donate Rescues, Interventions & Monitoring Piney Point Dolphins Dolphin-Safe Boating Dolphin-Safe Fishing Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins DISCOVER Discover Dolphins Fun Facts Meet the Dolphins Videos and Downloads For Teachers/Students Frequently Asked Questions Professional Training Graduate Student Education Internships NEWS Featured News Pressroom Enewsletter Annual Reports DONATE Search for: Search for: About Aboutjoker_developer2020-12-08T15:45:45+00:00 Our Approach to Helping Dolphins Our desire with each research or conservation project in Florida or elsewhere is to contribute to a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of populations of small cetaceans — dolphins, whales, and porpoises — as well as the natural and anthropogenic factors (factors of human origin) that impact them. We use an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach as we conduct studies of bottlenose dolphins within our main study area — Sarasota Bay, a unique long-term natural laboratory. Our primary goals include: Collecting biological, behavioral, ecological, and health data important to the conservation of small cetaceans, especially bottlenose dolphins; Providing wildlife management agencies with the requisite information need for bottlenose dolphin conservation; Disseminating the information we generate to scientific and general audiences to aid dolphin conservation; Using our model program to develop and refine hypotheses regarding bottlenose dolphins in other parts of the species’ range as well as other species of small cetaceans in other parts of the world; Using the established natural laboratory of Sarasota Bay to develop and test new research tools and methodologies of potential benefit to conservation efforts; Training cetacean conservation workers and students from around the world in the use of these techniques; Applying our unique expertise to dolphin rescue operations and post-release follow-up monitoring; Applying the information we gather from free-ranging dolphins to improve the quality of care for dolphins in zoological park settings. The collaborative work done toward achieving these goals is conducted under the umbrella of the “Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.” This name links the efforts of several organizations and individuals that work together to insure the continuity of the long-term dolphin research in Sarasota Bay. The SDRP has been operated by the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) since 1989. Dolphin Biology Research Institute, a Sarasota-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation was established in 1982 to provide logistical support through its fleet of small research vessels, vehicles, computers, cameras, field equipment, etc. Since 1992, the program has been based at Mote Marine Laboratory, with office, lab, storage and dock space within the resident Sarasota Bay dolphins’ home range. The SDRP maintains academic connections including providing graduate student opportunities primarily through the University of Florida, the University of California at Santa Cruz, and Duke University. All of our dolphin research in the United States is conducted under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Scientific Research Permit No. 20455 and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approvals through the appropriate institutions. Our History Scientific studies that provide information about the ranging patterns of dolphin populations are important to establish conservation strategies. The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population. It was initiated in 1970 to study the movements of dolphins in the inshore waters near Sarasota, Florida, and it was the first project to identify long-term residency by a dolphin population, based on observations of multiple generations of related dolphins residing year-round in local waters over decades. The predictability of finding resident dolphins of known backgrounds set the stage for research on their biology, behavior, ecology, health and the impacts of humans. Research approaches developed or refined in Sarasota Bay have helped us to learn about dolphins in other marine areas throughout the world, including Bermuda, Cambodia, Argentina, China, Greece and other locales. The Program’s Director, Dr. Randall Wells, was a 16-year-old volunteer intern for the program when its leader Blair Irvine began dolphin studies in Sarasota Bay. Wells has been working to improve the knowledge and conservation about dolphins ever since. From the Founders Dr. Blair Irvine began his career as a dolphin trainer for the U.S. Navy, work that eventually took him to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, where he began investigating the behavioral interactions between sharks and dolphins. His interest in the behavior of wild dolphins led him to start the research in 1970 that would eventually become the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, today known as the world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population. In an essay published in the journal Aquatic Mammals, Dr. Irvine shares his experiences about his early days of dolphin training, and his memories about some of the earliest pioneers of marine mammalogy. Read Dr. Irvine’s essay Dr. Randy Wells was a high schooler with an interest in sharks when his family moved to Sarasota and he began working with Irvine on the dolphin-shark studies. Today, as the Program’s leader, he reflects on its history: “The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is so far beyond anything that I could have imagined when I was 16 and helping Blair Irvine begin tagging dolphins in Sarasota Bay in 1970. We had no idea of the complex lives that dolphins live or that these initial studies and findings would result in a pioneering model for dolphin research and conservation that is used worldwide today.” Read more from Dr. Wells 0+ Science Publications 0 Books 0 Presentations 0+ Technical Reports About Chicago Zoological Society Contact Us History People About Us People Chicago Zoological Society Contact Us Featured News Whistling Away in Sarasota Bay F259 Understanding Animal Residency Identifying Dolphins Throughout the Gulf of Mexico Barbed! Stingray Spine Injuries Newsletter Sign Up Learn more about the dolphins we study! Sign up for our monthly enewsletter. Email Address (required) * First Name Last Name Select list(s) to subscribe to Enews-Signups-NewSite-Sept2020 Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. (You can unsubscribe anytime) Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank. 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Emails are serviced by Constant Contact ABOUT People Chicago Zoological Society Contact Us Accessibility Statement OUR IMPACT Publications Biology Health & Physiology Behavior Social Structure Communication Population Structure Ecology Tools & Techniques HELPING DOLPHINS Donate Rescues, Interventions & Monitoring Dolphin-Safe Boating Dolphin-Safe Fishing Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins DISCOVER Fun Facts Meet the Dolphins of Sarasota Bay Frequently Asked Questions Professional Training Graduate Student Education Internships NEWS Featured News Pressroom Enewsletter Annual Reports Follow Us On The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is “to inspire conservation leadership by engaging people and communities with wildlife and nature.” Images on this site are are owned and © by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (Dolphin Biology Research Institute) and were taken under National Marine Fisheries Service Permit. All Rights Reserved. No images may be taken from this site and used for any purpose without explicit authorization. Dolphin Biology Research Institute — DBA as the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program — is dedicated to research and conservation of dolphins and their habitat. View our profile at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County Giving Partner portal. DBRI IS A 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION — FEDERAL TAX ID #59-2288387. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH1172) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR AT WWW.FDACS.GOV/CONSUMER-RESOURCES/CHARITIES. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. © 2020 Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, All Rights Reserved. • Site design: Joker Media • Webmaster & Content Developer: Vetted Communications Go to Top Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility