Study

Interactions between the Indian River Lagoon blue crab fishery and the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus

  • Published source details Noke W.D. & Odell D.K. (2002) Interactions between the Indian River Lagoon blue crab fishery and the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Marine Mammal Science, 18, 819-832.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Modify fishing pots and traps to exclude mammals

Action Link
Marine and Freshwater Mammal Conservation
  1. Modify fishing pots and traps to exclude mammals

    A controlled study in 1998 in an estuary in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA (Noke & Odell 2002) found that securing crab pot doors with a V-shaped bungee cord strung through the wire mesh of the pot reduced the number of common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus interactions compared to conventional methods, but using a V-shaped bungee cord attached to three steel rings did not. Securing the door with a V-shaped bungee cord strung through the wire mesh on each side resulted in fewer dolphin interactions with the pot (1 in total) than conventional methods of securing the door (29 in total). The difference was not significant when a V-shaped bungee cord attached to three steel rings was used (total 38 interactions). Twenty wire crab pots (51 x 51 x 51 cm) were deployed by a blue crab Callznectes sapidus fishery with each of three methods of securing the bait-well door with 5-mm elastic bungee cords: V-shaped cord strung through wire mesh; V-shaped cord attached to three steel rings; conventional method (diagonal cord attached to two steel rings). The 60 pots were baited with herring and checked at 48 h intervals in July–October 1998. Fishers recorded signs of dolphin interactions (broken bungee cords, doors forced open, missing bait).

    (Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)

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