Bottlenose dolphins of the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama
The bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Bay in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro (BDT) sustain the largest dolphin industry in Panama. An exponential increase in the dolphin watching boat fleet and lack of compliance by operators has raise concerns about the impact the industry in this bottlenose dolphin population. Our research suggests that the dolphin population of Bocas del Toro ranges from 72 to 87 dolphins. This population appears to be divided into two social communities. The largest community has a low recapture (1-5 months) and residency rate (7.7 to 38.5%) and a wider distribution within the Archipelago. The smallest dolphin community is primarily found within Dolphin Bay and consists of 48 animals with a high recapture rate (5-13 months) and residency rate (38.5 to 100%). In a previous study we had found that overall BDT dolphins (both males and females) showed high levels of philopatry and that they possessed a unique mtDNA haplotype not found anywhere else in the Caribbean.
Publications
- Gagne, E*. Perez-Ortega, B., Hendry, A. P., Melo-Santos, G., Walmsley, S. F., Rege-Colt, M., Austin, M. and L J. May-Collado*.Dolphin communication during widespread systematic noise reduction-a natural experiment amid COVID-19 lockdown. 2022. Frontiers Remote Sensing.
- Perez-Ortega, B., Daw R., Paradee, B., Gimbrere, E. and L. J. May-Collado. 2021. Dolphin-watching boats affect whistle frequency modulation in bottlenose dolphins. Frontiers in Marine Science, section Marine Megafauna. Article 618420.
- May-Collado, L. J. 2020. Coastal Resources of Bocas del Toro, Panama: Tourism and Development pressures and the quest for sustainability. Coastal Management, 48(3):232-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2020.1747915
- Kassamali-Fox, A., Christiansen, F., May-Collado, L. J., Ramos, E. A., and B. A. Kaplin. 2020. Tour boats impact the activity patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Peer J. https://peerj.com/articles/8804/
- Dalia C. Barragán-Barrera, Andrea Luna-Acosta, Laura J. May-Collado, Carlos Polo-Silva, Federico G. Riet-Sapriza, Paco Bustamante, María Paula Hernández-Ávila, Natalia Vélez, Nohelia Farías-Curtidor and Susana Caballero. 2019. Foraging habits and levels of mercury in a resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Caribbean Sea, Panama. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 145: 343-356. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X19303558.
- Barragan-Barrera, D. C., May-Collado, L. J., Tezanos-Pinto, G., Islas-Villanueva, V., Correa-Cardenas, C. A., and S. Caballero. 2017. High genetic structure and low mitochondrial diversity in bottlenose dolphins of the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama: a population at risk? https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189370
- May-Collado, LJ. Marisol Amador-Caballero, José Julio Casas, Mónica P. Gamboa-Poveda, Frank Garita-Alpízar, Tim Gerrodette, Rocío González-Barrientos, Gabriela Hernández-Mora, Daniel M. Palacios, José D. Palacios-Alfaro, Betzi Pérez, Kristin Rasmussen, Lissette Trejos-Lasso, Javier Rodríguez-Fonseca. 2017. Chapter 12. Ecology and Conservation of Cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama. In Advances in Marine Vertebrate Research in Latin America (M. Rossi-Santos and C. Finkl eds). Springer Press.Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56984-0; Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-56985-7
- Sitar, A., May-Collado, LJ., Wright, A. J., Peters-Burton, E., Rockwood, L., and E.C.M. Parsons. 2017. Tourists’perspectives on dolphin watching in Bocas del Toro. Tourism in Marine Environments. 12:79-94 https://doi.org/10.3727/154427316X14820977775343
- Sitar, A., May-Collado, LJ., Wright, A. J., Peters-Burton, E., Rockwood, L., and E.C.M. Parsons. 2016. Boat operators in Bocas del Toro, Panama display low levels of compliance with national whale-watching regulations. Marine Policy. 68: 221-228.
- May-Collado, L.J. and S. Quinones-Lebron. 2014. Dolphin changes in whistle structure with watercraft activity depends on their behavioral state. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. EL 135, EL193-198.