Despite Covid-related restrictions for humans, bottlenose dolphins have returned to the middle portions of the Chesapeake Bay to kick off the 2021 season! Chesapeake DolphinWatch has already received reports in the Potomac River and off of Dorchester County. DolphinWatch has over 7500 registered users keeping their eyes on the water as we move into the busy season for dolphin watching.
Graduate students are working hard to deploy listening gear underwater around the Bay, gathering environmental data in new ways, and analyzing thousands of hours of dolphin calls. Stay tuned on the Chesapeake DolphinWatch Facebook page and webpage or the UMCES page for more updates on their research. You can get involved by considering making a tax-deductible donation of any size. Every dollar helps—your support is critical to the DolphinWatch research.
Another way to get involved is by logging your dolphin sightings on the Bay. There were nearly 1000 dolphin sightings reported in 2020! When you report a sighting, make sure it matches your sighting location as well as the date and time. It also helps if you can enter a short description about what you observed during your sighting, which helps DolphinWatch build confidence in their data and makes a big difference when they use the sighting in their research. To report sightings, visit chesapeakedolphinwatch.org and create a user login. If you have any questions, email [email protected].