Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509110109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short
Preliminary tallies show that 846 dolphins were recorded in July off Virginia Beach during the museum's third annual dolphin count, while 579 were counted last year and 412 in 1993.
Researchers say the raw figures overstate the number of bottlenose because many of the animals may have been counted twice. But even after subtracting those counted twice, the numbers remain higher than the counts last year and in 1993.
W. Mark Swingle, a marine biologist with the museum who coordinates the count, estimates that about 200 dolphins could be subtracted from the total once the data is analyzed to eliminate duplicate sightings. In 1994, the count dropped from 579 to 407 after analysis, and in 1993 from 412 to 335.
Researchers hope to spend time editing the numbers further and compute a more accurate count in October.
The count encompassed 120 miles of coastline and found a pattern emerging in where the dolphins like to congregate.
In the previous two counts, 75 percent of the dolphins were sighted off the Virginia Beach coast, while the rest were scattered from the Chesapeake Bay north to the Maryland state line.
This year, possibly up to 90 percent of the dolphins counted were seen off Virginia Beach's coast.
by CNB