Status of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, with special reference to Canada

Abstract

No estimates of worldwide population size exist, although there are numerous estimates for specific regions. Two forms are recognized, coastal and offshore. The species is not threatened, although the population in the Black Sea is currently considered at risk. In some areas, bottlenose dolphins are taken deliberately in drive fisheries, and they are caught incidentally in fishing operations worldwide. Levels of pollutants recorded in this species are among the highest recorded from any cetacean. Bottlenose dolphin is rare in Canadian waters, where it is at the northern limits of its range. Future records from the Canadian east coast may be less frequent, as an apparently natural die-off in the population off the north east coast of the US 1987-1988 may have resulted in a population reduction of >50%. -from Authors