NOAA TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NMFS-SEFSC-401 DESIGN FOR A MULTIPLE-METHOD APPROACH TO DETERMINE STOCK STRUCTURE OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC Report of a Workshop, 11-12 February 1997 Aleta A. Hohn U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE William M. Daley, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION D. James Baker, Administrator NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Rolland A. Schmitten, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries May 1997 ‘Technical Memoranda are used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results, interim reports, or special-purpose information, and have not received complete formal review, editorial control, or detailed editing.NOTICE ‘The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, recommend or endorse any proprietary product or material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this, publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NMES approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material herein or which has as its purpose any intent to cause directly ot indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of NMFS publication. Correct citation of this report is: Hohn, A.A. 1997. Design for a multiple-method approach to determine stock structure of bottlenose dolphins in the mid-Atlantic. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-401, 22 p. Copies of this report can be obtained from: National Marine Fisheries Service Beaufort Laboratory 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort, NC 28516-9722 or ‘National Technical Information Service 5258 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 (703) 487-4650, Fax (703) 321-8547 Rush orders: (800) 336-4700ABSTRACT Relatively new information has provided the basis for designing a series of field studies that will allow determination of whether the coastal migratory stock of bottlenose dolphins, as currently defined, is actually more than one stock. To date, the methods that have contributed to our understanding include photo-identification, analysis of isotope ratios, morphometric characteristics, feeding habits, genetics, and freeze brands applied during live captures. One critical aspect contributing to success will be the analysis of matched samples (various tissues from an individual analyzed across the various methods) and the subsequent merging of the disassociated results. Existing information is sufficient to suggest an efficient ‘geographic approach for collecting and analyzing samples: beginning at the north and south ends of the distribution of the coastal migratory population, including some of the estuaries in the south that contain year-round residents, then moving toward the center of the distribution. Results are sufficiently preliminary for many of the methods that estimating sample sizes, a priori, required to detect differences (at @=0.05 and B=0.20) is not feasible. Hence, adaptive sampling will be adopted. Each year a sample will be analyzed from each of the geographic sites chosen with each of the appropriate methods, and those results used to determine the optimal way to proceed. Samples and data are available from various sources. Matched samples will be collected from live-captures and specimens killed in fishery interactions. ‘Additional samples will be collected through biopsy sampling. Photo-identification based at five core sites along the coast and satellite transmitters deployed on animals caught during live-captures will provide critical movement data. A central photo-identification catalogue for the entire coast is being developed for use in matching between sites and identification of known individuals for biopsy sampling. The scope of the question will require a multi-year effort; a 3-yr field plan has been developed.