Dear Marmam subscribers, Apologies in advance, to those of you on both listserves who will receive cross-postings. I am pleased to announce the publication of the following article in Aquatic Mammals 32 (3) (abstract bellow): Díaz López, B., 2006. Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Predation on a Marine Fin Fish Farm: Some Underwater Observations. Aquatic Mammals 32 (3), 305 - 310, DOI 10.1578/AM.32.3.2006.305 Abstract This paper reports on the results of underwater observations of bottlenose dolphin feeding behaviour in a marine fin fish farm on the Sardinian coast in Italy from 2000 to 2005. During the study period, 178 underwater encounters were noted during 79 sightings of bottlenose dolphins at a fish farm. Total time spent underwater in the presence of dolphins was 284 min, with a mean encounter duration of 1.6 ± 1.3 min. Bottlenose dolphins were primarily observed hunting both schooling and solitary prey around the fish farm cages, using seven cooperative and individual feeding strategies throughout the water column. The underwater observations suggest that the use of different feeding strategies is consistent with the hypothesis that bottlenose dolphins apply common decision rules in relation to prey availability, resulting in the use of different foraging techniques. The observed frequency of the feeding strategies employed by dolphins preying directly on farmed fish could be worrisome for aquaculture. Key Words: Tursiops truncatus, bottlenose dolphin, aquaculture, behaviour, predation, marine fin fish farm, Mediterranean Sea A pdf file is available and can be sent on request (bruno@thebdri.com), the article will be available shortly from the BDRI's website www.thebdri.com This paper is one in a series of studies that have been published over the past years which show the influence of a marine fin fish farm in bottlenose dolphins presence and feeding behaviour. Best wishes, Bruno Díaz López Zoologist & Chief Director The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute - BDRI V.Diaz 4, Golfo Aranci 07020 Italy www.thebdri.com bruno@thebdri.com Tel: 00 39 346 0815414 --------------------------------- Cheap Talk? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates. --------------------------------- Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! Answers and get answers from real people who know.