Dr. Leszek Karczmarski of Texas A&M University's Institute of Oceanography is investigating spinner dolphin populations of the three most western atolls of the Hawaiian Archipelago: Kure Atoll, Midway Atoll, and Pearl & Hermes Reef. This three-year study, which combines modern techniques of behavioral ecology and population genetics, will assess the relationships between sexes, individuals, groups, societies and populations of spinner dolphins, as well as the complexity of their social life from evolutionary and behaviorally adaptive perspectives. It intends to help mankind better understand what influences shape dolphin societies, how these mammals relate to their environment and why their populations differ from one geographic area to the next.
PMLF is pleased to be one of several organizations funding this research, which is being conducted in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Midway Atoll and researchers from the San Francisco based Oceanic Society. The inter-atoll comparison will place the dolphin population ecology in the larger perspective of the northwest Hawaiian region. It will assess population vulnerability and define their natural patterns of habitat use -- critical pieces of information for intelligent tourism management. By doing so, Dr. Karczmarski says, this research will benefit the atolls' entire ecosystem, of which spinner dolphins are a fascinating part, and will help delineate long-term strategies for spinner dolphin conservation in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
