Dear colleagues, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new publication in Human Dimensions of Wildlife:
“Characterizing human interactions with bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) in Tampa Bay” Meredith MacQueeney, Michelle A. M. Collier, Peter Simard & Shannon Gowans https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2021.1950241 Abstract: Human interaction (HI) is known to disturb cetaceans. Regional wildlife interaction guidelines exist to mitigate harmful impacts, but the efficacy of these guidelines is understudied. HI with bottlenose dolphins was documented opportunistically in Tampa Bay from 2009 to 2018. Vessel compliance to the guidelines was low with 80% of encounters being non-compliant. HI was observed in 33% of days in the field and in 22% of dolphin sightings. Poisson regression identified vessel type as a strong key factor related to compliance, with faster more maneuverable boats more likely to be non-compliant. Additionally, HI involved recreational vessels much more frequently than tourism vessels. These results likely underestimate true HI rates because of sampling limitations. Researchers should opportunistically document HI including vessel characteristics and vessel behavior to help quantify compliance. When developing HI guidelines and their promotion, managers should carefully consider which stakeholders engage in HI to best direct resources to that audience. To request a PDF copy of the paper please contact Meredith MacQueeney ( memac...@eckerd.edu). Kind regards, -Meredith MacQueeney (she/her) Eckerd College 2019 Current affiliation: PhD Student, Department of Biology Georgetown University mem...@georgetown.edu -- *** Please know that I honor and respect boundaries around personal time, well-being, caretaking, and rest. If this email finds you at a time when you are engaging in any of the above, please protect your time and wait to respond until you are next working.***
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