Abstract
Recently, bottlenose dolphins have frequently appeared in coastal waters of the Jeju Islands. To determine whether these individuals belong to one or more pods, the Cetacean Research Institute (CRI) established visual and photo-identification surveys in the Jeju Islands from November 2007 to July 2009. During visual surveys, pods composed of 10 to 80 individuals were sighted mainly in the northeastern and northwestern of Jeju Islands. Eighty-nine individuals were identified and cataloged by photo-identification using natural nicks and notches on their dorsal fins. Thirty-six individuals were identified three times or more, and nine individuals were identified five times during seven surveys. One individual appeared in November 2007, August 2008, October 2008, April 2009, and July 2009. The results of our study confirm that these dolphins represent a coastal resident stock. Futhermore, we will establish dolphin abundance, management, and usage studies using continuous visual and photo-identification surveys.
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