Coming out of COVID: Recording spinner dolphins post-pandemic restrictions.

Please join Maui Nui Marine Resource Council for our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series, August edition on Wednesday, August 2 at 5:30 PM!

Register here: https://bit.ly/dolphinwebinar

This webinar provides an assessment of spinner dolphin acoustic activity in Maui Nui post-COVID-19 boating and travel restrictions. Underwater sound was recorded in 2021-2022 in three bays frequently used by spinner dolphins for their daytime rest: Mānele, Hulopoʻe, and Honolua. Spinner dolphins were recorded in each location, with the most dolphin acoustic activity occurring in Honolua, and less activity in Hulopoʻe. These analyses will help wildlife managers identify important spinner dolphin daytime habitats and track habitat-use changes that may occur due to varying levels of human disturbance.

Megan McElligott is a 5th-year doctoral candidate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Marine Biology Graduate Program. Her work focuses on using passive acoustics (underwater sound recordings) to monitor when and where Hawaiian spinner dolphins get their daily rest. The goal of her research is to help wildlife managers determine the best ways to protect spinner dolphins from human disturbance.