Yesterday in Wagner Creek (off upper Wando) I saw a dolphin (mammal) swim by my dock. He was marked “3F3” on his dorsal fin.
Is DNR or any other NGO tracking these guys? My wife was wondering if there is some kind of spotter’s program to report to.
Thanks for any replies
There was a discussion on here a year or so ago about the same thing and same kind of marking on the dorsal but it was in the Beaufort area. I don’t remember what the final consensus was. Try a search for it.
My thoughts were that it’s a USN dolphin, they have many trained dolphin that they use for various underwater work, but that may not be the correct answer.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:Glad you asked. :wink:
Originally posted by Vegas DaveYesterday in Wagner Creek (off upper Wando) I saw a dolphin (mammal) swim by my dock. He was marked “3F3” on his dorsal fin.
Is DNR or any other NGO tracking these guys? My wife was wondering if there is some kind of spotter’s program to report to.
Thanks for any replies
Vegas Dave
Here is a link to the last thread (that I can remember) about tagged/branded dolphins.
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=140718
If you could post or PM me any info that might help with the sighting, I will help you pass it along. like (from my previous post):
“For you and anyone interested, the various organizations like to gather as much specific information from the sightings. Like, what numbers or tags are visible, where sighted, date and time of day, any visible injury to dolphin, any other dolphins in the group or in the area, etc.”
I am not trying to keep any of the dolphin monitoring programs secret. It’s just that these programs come and go for many many reasons. I keep up with them as much as I can but, the contact info changes from decade to decade and sometimes even from year to year.
That’s the thread I remembered, thanks.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
well I Really don’t have much more info than I spotted him in Wagner Creek about three hours into a waning tide. In water about three feet deep. He was swimming up the creek and was eating shrimp along the shoreline. About thirty minutes later he swam back in 2.5 feet of water and hit the popper cork I had about twenty feet down creek. The 3f3 marking on his dorsal was clear and distinctly marked.
Vegas Dave
quote:V Dave, that is tons of info. The fact that you got a great look at the "brand" is super. I'm no "official" guy but, thanks. I read fishing internet posts to see how the other fishermen are experiencing the waters I fish. What's MY part. If I know a guy that knows a guy that knows a guy that can make your fishing more informative, I try to help. Sounds like we share that. Cool report.
Originally posted by Vegas Davewell I Really don’t have much more info than I spotted him in Wagner Creek about three hours into a waning tide. In water about three feet deep. He was swimming up the creek and was eating shrimp along the shoreline. About thirty minutes later he swam back in 2.5 feet of water and hit the popper cork I had about twenty feet down creek. The 3f3 marking on his dorsal was clear and distinctly marked.
Vegas Dave
It has been MY experience that ALL of the agencies (current and previous) share any and all information that any of them gather, on and off duty. I use to keep separate phone numbers for state marine agencies and other numbers for NOAA and some personal numbers that had connections through non-governmental agencies. But… one day I found a dead baby dolphin. The only number I had was off of a fishing bumper sticker. I called it and both state and federal agencies were calling me on my cel phone to try to help me connect with the most appropriate agency to make my report.
If you see marine birds or fish or mammals that are dead or in distress, that 1-800 number on the fish measuring bumper sticker that most people put on their boats is a great place to start and often ALL that you will need.
I photographed this same Dolphin in front of Fort Moultrie in early March.
Also saw this one in the Folly inlet down at Folly island park in Oct 2013.
saw a dolphin in folly heading to Morris island yesterday.
Ladies were taken pictures of all of them see if they have
the number an post it
talked to the wife an she had a picture of it the number
was the same 8f2 with some kind of blue on it tail.
Nice of all you guys posting pictures and info. The guys doing the studies are spread thin and sometimes it takes weeks for them to get back with a response. They are out on boats for weeks/months at a time. But, they always respond.
If there is an urgent situation like a stranded or injured animal, that 1-800 number on the “Fish Ruler” will get the info in the right hands.
Which agency is it exactly who is branding the dolphins?
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryWhich agency is it exactly who is branding the dolphins?
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>The ‘freeze branding’ is done by NOAA. It is a temporary identifying method. NOAA has an office right at Charleston Harbor. The ‘ear tags’ (like they use on cattle) are done by the State, I think. That dolphin 8F2 has both the freeze brand and a blue ear tag on his dorsal fin.
Tats and Bling- SKA member maybe?
quote:Some even get electronics attached to them. They get an antenna. But' I don't think it 'receives' any local stations. Just transmits.
Originally posted by RockfishmanTats and Bling- SKA member maybe?
Thanks for the info BTY, very interesting. I learn something new here every day 
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Which brings up another thought. I wonder how they go about catching the dolphin to tag it. Net 
Those things are big and strong. We’d need Courtland and his tuna outfit for that.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryWhich brings up another thought. I wonder how they go about catching the dolphin to tag it. Net
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>The rodeo method. Jump out the boat and wrestling them down.Not quite that dramatic. But, they try to find or move them into shallow water and then a bunch of people with a net to block it’s egress and others to heard it to shallow firm bottom just get closer and closer and then get many hands on. Kind of like horse whispering, I guess. The gentle method o wrangling animals. Seems like a saw a picture or two a few years back. Bunch of people holding a dolphin next to a grass bank.
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryWhich brings up another thought. I wonder how they go about catching the dolphin to tag it. Net
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>Found an old NOAA photo from 2009. Really can’t remember the story that goes along with it, i.e. location, etc…
Thanks again I figured it would take a dozen people to hold one down.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I knew it might take a while to here back. The researchers are spread kind of thin. Here is what I got:
Cool sightings, thanks for passing them along. The one “Vegas Dave” reported from Wagner Cr this June (‘3F3’) is actually 8F8, a big male caught w/ one other male this past August near the marsh across from Cummings Pt (south of Ft Sumter). ‘He’ (8F8 that is) was reported up there by “Lowcountryboy” in Oct 2013. Also the same one in the pic (from “Laaz”) off Ft Moultrie earlier this year in March. Really neat, b/c that is a pretty big distance b/w the sightings. Not sure we have ever seen him way up the Wando like they have. Still around 90 sightings of him, so he’s pretty well represented in our catalog.
Same goes for 8F2, don’t have a whole lot of information, mainly b/c the group I work w/ didn’t participate in last summers capture. I can relate that he’s a male too (the even numbers are males), and he was caught (singly) down in the Stono, on the shallows East of Snake Island and South of Lower Cole Island. We only recently got some of the pics from the capture itself, and as I said, we’ve had a pretty busy summer, so I’m not sure of his history, although he probably is in our catalog.
You’re right on about the blue tag, it’s an inert cattle ear tag used to quickly ID previously captured dolphins, so the crew doesn’t catch them again. It also usually can leave a good ID mark when it pulls out of the fin. The group that did the local captures last summer did put out a couple satellite tags, 2 or 3 near as I can tell, but that isn’t what 8F2 has.
Lastly, ‘we’ have had to start using letters along w/ the numbers because we ran out of even numbers between 800 and 898. So far we’ve used ‘A’, ‘F’, and ‘J’, just like you see w/ these two. - NOAA Affiliate
I know that the picture(s) really make it look like that one dolphin is ‘3F3’ but’ I am going to take the NOAA guys word that it is really 8F8. Remember that trying to Freeze Brand a huge marine mammal while standing in fluff mud and trying
