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Wednesday, March 23, 2005 A number of Arkansas State University students were part of a group that spent a week on a research and exploration vessel studying dolphins during spring break. From left are ASU students Sarah DeViney and Courtney Dawson; Raj Kamthe and Annabelle McKie, both of Florida, who are considering enrolling at ASU; Christy Robertson, ASU student; the captain's daughter; ASU student Waylon Hiler; and John Locher of Florida, who also might enroll at ASU. ASU students study dolphins on Fla. trip BY SHERRY F. PRUITT During spring break the curriculum for one Arkansas State University class offered students a chance to learn about and interact with dolphins. A group of seven ASU graduate students and two undergraduates traveled to the Florida Keys as part of their marine mammals field course under the direction of Dr. Al Romero, chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences. "Today is the first day I haven't felt like the floor was moving," said Joy Trauth, full-time biology instructor and environmental science doctoral student. In preparation for the field trip, students read papers to become familiar with dolphin behavior and practiced snorkeling in the ASU pool. The group took the Tiburon, a 63-foot U.S. Coast Guard certified passenger research vessel from the Safe Harbor Marina within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The vessel, designed for research and exploration, was home to the group for the week. Trauth said. It's where the students slept and ate their meals, which were prepared by a French chef. A local dolphin guide and three prospective ASU graduate students joined the group in the hunt for bottlenose dolphins on the first three mornings of the trip. "Usually about an hour out, we would start seeing dolphins. They were mostly in pods of two to seven, but sometimes we would see a lone dolphin. We also saw two calves with their mothers," said Trauth, who taught science at Jonesboro High School for 16 years and at Nettleton High for a year. The guide told the group that the dolphins' favorite speed for bow riding, when the mammals were essentially pushed along by the current while under the bow of the boat, is seven knots, Trauth said. "Up to seven dolphins at a time would bow ride with us. Two dolphins stayed bow riding with us for 17 minutes. While bow riding, the dolphins changed sides and leaped out of the water to breathe several times," she said. The group spent mornings photographing the dolphins with still and video cameras "while the frigate birds soared overhead, the pelicans flew low over the water, and ballyhoo fish skipped along the surface like stones thrown across the surface of a pond," she explained. Later in the day ASU students viewed the photographs and documented as many dolphins with distinguishing characteristics as they could. They identified 21 dolphins and named the one that visited the boat most often, Lola. Some mornings the group estimated the population size of the marine mammals and recorded the time, Global Positioning System positions, species, bearing, distance from the boat, group size, behavior and Beaufort Sea condition. "Once the data are obtained, population size can be estimated using established mathematical formulas ...," she said. "We used the hydrophone to record underwater dolphin sounds. We were also able to observe dolphin behavior, such as mating and feeding at a much closer range." When the water was too rough for snorkeling, the students explored historic Key West, including Ernest Hemingway's home, took a boardwalk stroll along the wharf and watched an ocean sunset over the pier, Trauth said. A week prior to the trip, Trauth said, the students learned that about 60 rough-toothed dolphins had stranded on sandbars about 46 miles east of Key West. In an effort to restore their health, four of the dolphins were taken to the Mote Marine Laboratory on Summerland Key, about 30 minutes from the group's location. Shelly Kannada, whose research project focuses on dolphins, corresponded with members of the Florida Keys Marine Mammal Rescue Program and offered the help of the ASU group. "They were excited and pleased to accept our offer. For three nights from midnight to 4 a.m., groups of four of us assisted the Mote Marine Laboratory staff by monitoring the activity and breathing rate of the dolphins in their care," Trauth said. The group also spent time exploring other sea life. Some students snorkeled, and others donned scuba gear to explore deeper areas of the coral reef. "We jumped into the 72-degree water. ... We saw several different kinds of coral, including sea fans and brain coral and many species of colorful reef fish, including several species of parrot fish, several species of blue, yellow and purple damsel fish, several barracudas, yellow and black rock beauties and black and white sergeant major fish," she said. In addition to Trauth and Kannada, ASU students who went on the field trip include Waylon Hiler, Sara Seagraves, Sarah DeViney, Christy Robertson, Courtney Dawson, Kathy Lawrence and Nekia Shoemaker. sherry@jonesborosun.com Copyright © 2005, Jonesboro Sun