The following paper has recently been published in Fishery Bulletin: Depredation of catch by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Florida king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) troll fishery Erika A. Zollett and Andrew J. Read Abstract: We documented depredation by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Florida king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) troll fishery. Between March and June 2003, we conducted 26 interviews of charter and commercial fishermen in Islamorada, Florida and 23 along Floridas east coast from Fort Pierce south to Lake Worth Inlet. All fishermen indicated they had observed bottlenose dolphins depredating bait or catch, with king mackerel the species most often taken by dolphins. During on-board observations of depredation between March and June 2003, we found that dolphins took 6% of king mackerel caught by charter fishermen and 20% of fish caught by commercial fishermen. We conclude that depredation by bottlenose dolphins occurs commonly in this fishery and has the potential to incur a significant economic cost to king mackerel fishermen. To address this concern, we conducted preliminary tests of a gear modification designed to reduce depredation in the king mackerel fishery between December 2003 and January 2004. These tests demonstrated that a modification to the outrigger planer will successfully deter bottlenose dolphins from engaging in depredation, without causing a reduction in catch. The paper is available at: http://fishbull.noaa.gov/1043/zollett.pdf Reprints can be requested from: erika.zollett@unh.edu --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.