It was an eventful season for the crew of the Dolphin Explorer and the resident population of bottlenose dolphins that we monitor. Two of our local dolphins overcame life-threatening injuries this past winter. One, a young sub-adult male named Seymour, became the object of some celebrity in March when a team of thirty rescuers captured him and removed fi shing line that was cutting deeply into his tail. The second dolphin, a female familiar to us as Rangle, managed, without any human intervention or fanfare to recover from a devastating propeller strike to the front of her head.Spotlight on SeymourWe fi rst became alerted to Seymour's predicament in late November when our naturalist James Livicarri saw him slap-ping his fl ukes on the water and photographed a profusion of scar tissue that was growing around his tail. Veterinarians working for the National Marine Fisheries Service determined that the injury was life threatening and the Coastal Stranding Network began preparations for a rescue. The crew of the Dolphin Explorer spent the next three months recording sightings of Seymour and conducting 'focal follows' when possible to estab-lish his range and habits in preparation for the day when the rescue would take place. Rose Marina loaned us boats to aid in the search and many members of the community contributed to the effort.Satellite of LoveThe work paid off on the morning of March 9 when the Dolphin Explorer encountered Seymour alone in Collier Bay. Within minutes of reporting the sighting the rescue team arrived on the scene. For the next forty-fi ve minutes we watched as the chase boat from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Insti-tute followed Seymour around waiting for him to fi nd his way into shallow water. Suddenly the repurposed mullet fi shing boat, with its engine well forward of the stern to avoid fouling the net, sped in a wide circle and came to an abrupt stop. The net had been set. Within another minute Seymour was at the side of one of the chase boats and a team of handlers from Sea World, Fish and Wildlife and veterinarians from Florida University began their work. The vets removed the line that had cut to the bone in places and scientists from Mote Aquarium affi xed a satellite transmitter to his dorsal fi n. Within a few hours Seymour was released back into his home range to recover.Amazing Recovery, Amazing MomRangle's head injury looked far more serious and we did not hold out much hope for her. Bottlenose dolphins, however, are able to generate new skin tissue 200-300 times faster than humans - they replace their outer layer of skin cells every two hours - and two months later the wound has completely healed over. Throughout this ordeal she was able to feed herself, navigate her range from Caxambas Pass to the Marco River and care for her two year old calf, Mocha.Cycle of LifeWhile Seymour stole much of the spotlight this season, the cycle of life and death continued for the rest of the local dolphin population. Oscar, an older male and long time companion of Sharks disappeared from the study in November 2011. Meanwhile two dolphins, Batman and Button, signaled their arrival to maturity in October when they gave birth to calves for the fi rst time. Three other more experienced mothers also gave birth in October and so far all of the new arrivals are thriving.Ongoing ResearchThe Dolphin Explorer research is ongoing and The Marco Review features updates on their fi ndings in every issue. To learn more about this project see the Dolphin Explorer's ads on pages 70 and 71 or visit www.dolphin-explorer.com

85Landing a big game fi sh has to be one of the most exciting things that most people will ever do, but if you've ever taken someone fi shing for the fi rst time and watched the delight on their face when they succeed in landing a six inch snapper, then you realize that the old saying is true... size doesn't always matter! Captain Jim Ponder of Anglers Charters specializes in fun family fi shing. If it's trophy fi sh you want, then he'll be happy to oblige, but he says the major-ity of his customers just want to enjoy being out on the water and experience the thrill of catching a fi sh, whatever its size. And don't worry that a whole day of fi shing might be too much for all the family, Capt. Jim can always mix things up and fi nd a desserted beach for some shelling, follow a group of dolphin for a while or maybe stop off at a waterside restaurant for some lunch. His spacious and stable deck boat is perfect for navigating the shallow back-waters around Marco and is also comfortable in the near shore gulf waters. It's ideal for those who are less mobile, and can even accommodate a wheelchair.ON THE WATER