All dolphin photography taken under MMPA Permit #21938-03.
May not be used for commercial purposes.
Continuing on the them of the last blog post, we asked the field assistants to answer a fun "exit interview" about their experiences this summer! Here are Nemo's answers!
What surprised you about this work? I was pleasantly surprised by how interested people were in the work we’re doing. What surprised you about the dolphins? With the dolphins I was surprised at how much their travel patterns vary. Some individuals stay in pretty much the same spot and some will bounce back and forth between locations, travelling astounding distances in the span of a couple of days. Favorite dolphin experience? My favourite dolphin experience was seeing a newborn baby dolphin a couple of days before the field season wrapped up. Favorite place to boat to (dolphins or no)? In terms of location, my favourite place would be Wacassassa Bay because I loved trying to spot gators chilling by the river. Favorite dolphin of season? My favourite dolphin is Twistie Tie, closely followed by Lulu (LUMM) who I affectionately referred to as Beluga Whale Fin. Most memorable day or moment on the boat I think the most memorable day on the boat was definitely the rescue operation where we tried to get cover netting off of a baby dolphin we had been keeping tabs on all season. The rescue was pulled off pretty successfully with minimal inconvenience to all parties involved, including the dolphins. What would your advice be for future assistants? My advice to future assistants would be to stock up on sunscreen and be prepared to work. It is physically demanding but incredibly rewarding and a fantastic opportunity to observe these intelligent animals in their natural habitat. Key food item for the field A key food item for the field is chocolate. Or anything sweet. Favorite/memorable phrase or saying? A memorable phrase that I won’t ever be able to get out of my mind is ‘up at your 3 o’clock’. (EDITOR'S NOTE: we use a clock system to describe the relative position of the dolphins to the boat) What do you wish you had brought with you this season? I wish I had brought a bigger water bottle with a lid that was easier to open. Most valuable item for the boat? Most valuable item for the boat is a hat. A wide brim hat with protective neck covering because that will protect you from the sun better than anything else.
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