Trophic Ecology Studies

The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that populations of marine mammals "not be permitted to diminish beyond the point at which they cease to be a significant functioning element in the ecosystem" and finds that "there is inadequate knowledge of the ecology and population dynamics of such marine mammals..."

Diet studies of bottlenose dolphins contribute to an understanding of how dolphins function in their ecosystem, their ecological role, and their impact on prey species.

Previous studies have identified that bottlenose dolphins feed on a number of commercially and recreationally valuable species of fish.

We are trying to refine and update dolphin food habits and estimate the biomass of prey species consumed by bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina waters, focusing particularly on commercially important species.

Sorting bottlenose dolphin
stomach contents
Photo Credit: SEFSC Beaufort Lab dolphin stomach contents

Fish and squid removed from dolphin stomachs
Photo Credit: SEFSC Beaufort Lab

Trophic Ecology Studies

Protected Resources

Fisheries Service