gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:58439 eng UTF8 dataset MS Excel Spreadsheet Southeast Fisheries Science Center (305)361-5761 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA www.sefsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Website Website for this organization information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST resourceProvider Hohn, Aleta 252-728-8797 252-728-8784 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort NC 28156 aleta.hohn@noaa.gov https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wd1SXSQAAAAJ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Aleta Hohn Google Scholar Page Website listed for Hohn, Aleta information pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:23 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Using the otolith sulcus to aid in prey identification and improve estimates of prey size in diet studies of a piscivorous predator 1999 creation 2020-01 revision 2020 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 58439 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/58439 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information documentDigital Diet studies are fundamental for understanding trophic connections in marine ecosystems. In the southeastern US, the common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus is the predominant marine mammal in coastal waters, but its role as a top predator has received little attention. Diet studies of piscivorous predators, like bottlenose dolphins, start with assessing prey otoliths recovered from stomachs or feces, but digestive erosion hampers species identification and underestimates fish weight (FW). To compensate, FW is often estimated from the least affected otoliths and scaled to other otoliths, which also introduces bias. The ulcus, an otolith surface feature, has a species-specific shape of its ostium and caudal extents, which is within the otolith edge for some species. We explored whether the sulcus could improve species identification and estimation of prey size using a case study of four sciaenid species targeted by fisheries and bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina. Methods were assessed first on otoliths from a reference collection (n=421) and applied to prey otoliths (n=5308) recovered from 20 stomachs of dead stranded dolphins. We demonstrated in reference collection otoliths that cauda to sulcus length (CL:SL) could discriminate between spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) (classification accuracy=0.98). This method confirmed for the first time predation of spotted seatrout by bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina. Using predictive models developed from reference collection otoliths, we provided evidence that digestion affects otolith length more than sulcus or cauda length, making the latter better predictors. Lastly, we explored scenarios of calculating total consumed biomass across degrees of digestion. A suggested approach was for the least digested otoliths to be scaled to other otoliths iteratively from within the same stomach, month, or season as samples allow. Using the otolith sulcus helped overcome challenges of species identification and fish-size estimation, indicating their potential use in other diet studies. To explore whether the sulcus could improve species identification and estimation of prey size using a case study of four sciaenid species targeted by fisheries and bottlenose dolphins in North Carolina Barbie Byrd and Aleta Hohn completed Hohn, Aleta 252-728-8797 252-728-8784 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort NC 28156 aleta.hohn@noaa.gov https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wd1SXSQAAAAJ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Aleta Hohn Google Scholar Page Website listed for Hohn, Aleta information custodian notPlanned STOMACH CONTENTS - FULLNESS theme NODC DATA TYPES STOMACH CONTENTS - PREY COUNT ANIMALS - INDIVIDUAL - STOMACH CONTENTS BIOLOGICAL DATA STOMACH CONTENTS - CONTENT WEIGHT STOMACH CONTENTS - DIGESTION STOMACH CONTENTS - PREY TAXONOMY theme NODC DATA TYPES fish examination biological in situ laboratory analyses theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES Coastal Waters Of North Carolina North Atlantic Ocean place NODC SEA AREA NAMES Tursiops common bottlenose dolphin theme 1996-2012 temporal DOC/NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC > Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Protected Resources Marine Mammals (Beaufort) project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Using the otolith sulcus to aid in prey identification and improve estimates of prey size in diet studies of a piscivorous predator [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/58439. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None otherRestrictions Use Constraints: Please cite appropriately otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: None unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 58439 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/sefsc/dmp/pdf/58439.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference textTable eng; US oceans Complete List of Authors: Byrd, Barbie; Riverside Technology, Inc, Contractor for: Hohn, Aleta; National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort Laboratory Krause, Jacob; NC State University, Department of Applied Ecology/Center for Marine Sciences and TechnologyComplete List of Authors: Byrd, Barbie; Riverside Technology, Inc, Contractor for: Hohn, Aleta; National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort Laboratory Krause, Jacob; NC State University, Department of Applied Ecology/Center for Marine Sciences and Technology false eng false Data Table Spreadsheet Stranded_Bottlenose_Dolphins.csv 2021-04-29 publication Reference_Collection_Otoliths.csv 2021-04-29 publication Otolith_Data_From_Strandings.csv 2021-04-29 publication Byrd Hohn Krause 2020 Otolith Sulcus paper_data and data attributes 2021-04-29 publication attributes.csv 2021-04-29 publication Zip Zip Southeast Fisheries Science Center (305)361-5761 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Southeast Fisheries Science Center Website About SEFSC information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST distributor https://grunt.sefsc.noaa.gov/parr/58439.zip WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link 58439.zip download otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: Please cite appropriately