In the past two weeks, two major hurricanes have devastated the Southeastern region of the United States, causing historic flooding, major infrastructure damage, and tragic loss of life. Here at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, our hearts go out to all who suffered and continue to suffer from the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Among the communities impacted were those in Sarasota, Florida, home to our Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), and our Sarasota-based staff members are working tirelessly to ensure the SDRP is fully functional again as quickly as possible. While the team’s offices, labs, and boats were largely intact — despite damage to Mote Marine Laboratory where they are housed — many of the station housings and hydrophones that make up the SDRP’s Sarasota Bay Listening Network have been lost or severely damaged.
The Listening Network, a powerful tool for studying the lives of marine animals, continuously record underwater sounds so that the team can monitor dolphins and other sound-producing animals, as indicators of ecosystem health. The full extent of the damage to the Listening Network is not yet known, as the team has still been unable to access some of the 15 hydrophone sites, but there will certainly be significant work required to restore the network to its pre-hurricane capacity.
For 54 years, the SDRP — the world's longest-running dolphin conservation research program — has been at the forefront of dolphin conservation. The team’s groundbreaking work has revealed critical insights into the complex societies of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, helping scientists better understand their behaviors and the ecosystems they depend on. In addition, the SDRP has contributed invaluable data to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) management plans for the species and guided officials’ responses to environmental disasters and helping to protect endangered marine species worldwide.
In the face of such climate-related challenges, our commitment to conservation has never been more critical. Protecting our marine ecosystems not only helps build resilience against future storms but also ensures that we can continue to support the vital research and education efforts that benefit both wildlife and our communities. The SDRP's work not only reduces preventable tragedies, such as dolphin entanglements in fishing lines — which account for 20% of dolphin deaths in the region — but also provides vital insights into the overall health of our shared coastal waters.
If you would like to support the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program during this critical time, visit https://bit.ly/4h4zYas. Your generosity will allow us to respond to the team’s areas of greatest need as they work toward resuming normal operations.
Photos taken under NMFS Scientific Research Permit No. 26622.
