Salinity and Temperature Effects on the Distribution of Fish and Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in North Inlet, South Carolina

• Main Author: Rider, Sarah
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: CCU Digital Commons 2004
• Subjects: Bottlenose dolphins; feeding behaviors; fish distribution; seasonal migrations; Oceanography; Red drum
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses/277; https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276&context=honors-theses

The distribution of fish in North Inlet, South Carolina, was studied based on trammel net captures from February 2001 to October 2003. Data was collected from 250 sets, resulting in a total catch of 2,569 fish from 48 species. The most abundant species caught was pinfish, followed by red drum and mullet. Movements of resident bottlenose dolphins in North Inlet were surveyed with photo-identification techniques from 1997 to 2003 and mapped using GPS satellite tracking information. Salinity effects were measured between a drought year and wet year, 2002 and 2003 respectively. Salinity strongly affected the distribution of both fish and dolphins, causing a shift in species abundance within the inlet between 2002 and 2003. Temperature was another major determining factor for fish and dolphin distribution and can be correlated to seasonal movements into and out of the estuary. Findings showed that seasonal dolphin migrations coincided with fish distribution.