Developing a protocol for the photo-identification of striped dolphin in the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean Sea)

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility to apply photo-identification method on the striped dolphin. As non-invasive and inexpensive methods, the photo-identification could improve our knowledge about abundance, temporal distribution, movements, social organization of striped dolphin population in the Gulf of Taranto. In this work, two different criteria were tested to identify individuals: the first based on the dorsal fin, the second based on the pigmentation pattern variability and long-term markers on the body.Multiple notches and multiple nicks resulted the most useful markers on dorsal fin for the photo-identification of striped dolphin, followed by the presence of one large notch, one small nick and deformities. These markers allowed the identification of 150 striped dolphins of which 40 were re-sighted from 2 to 7 times. The photo-identification based on the pigmentation pattern resulted in 47 individuals of which only one was resighted during the study period.