Comprehensive Evaluation of Survival and Population Growth for Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound, Usa, following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Estimating population parameters such as survival and population growth is critical for the monitoring of at-risk populations of marine mammals. We conducted monthly boat-based photo-identification surveys in the Mississippi Sound and eastern Louisiana waters during January 2011-June 2015 to assess the status of the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, and Bay Boudreau Tursiops truncatus (Common Bottlenose Dolphin) stock. Using the resulting mark-recapture data, we estimated the survival and population growth rates using a reverse capture-recapture method. The estimated monthly survival probability over this period of time was 0.969 (95% CI: 0.964-0.974). The final monthly population growth rate was then estimated to be 1.005 (95% CI: 0.998-1.013), which suggests a relatively stable population.