Tursiops Truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin IUCN Assessment 2019

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)

IUCN 2019: T22563A156932432
Scope: Global
Language: English
Tursiops truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Errata version
Assessment by: Wells, R.S., Natoli, A. & Braulik, G.
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Wells, R.S., Natoli, A. & Braulik, G. 2019. Tursiops truncatus (errata version published in
2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22563A156932432.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T22563A156932432.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™

Taxonomy
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Delphinidae
Taxon Name: Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)
Synonym(s):
• Delphinus truncatus Montagu, 1821
• Tursiops nuuanu Andrews, 1911
Regional Assessments:
• Mediterranean
• Europe
Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:

• Tursiops truncatus (Fiordland subpopulation)
• Tursiops truncatus (Mediterranean subpopulation)
• Tursiops truncatus ssp. gephyreus
• Tursiops truncatus ssp. ponticus
Common Name(s):
• English: Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Bottlenosed Dolphin, Bottlenose
Dolphin
• French: Dauphin Souffleur, Grand Dauphin, Souffleur, Tursiops
• Spanish: Delfín Mular, Pez Mular, Tursión
Taxonomic Source(s):
Committee on Taxonomy. 2017. List of marine mammal species and subspecies. Available at:
www.marinemammalscience.org. (Accessed: 31 August 2018).
Taxonomic Notes:
All Bottlenose Dolphins around the world were previously recognized as Tursiops truncatus, but
currently, the genus is considered to be composed of two species: T. truncatus (Common Bottlenose
Dolphin) and T. aduncus (the smaller Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin) (Wang et al. 1999, 2000a,b). The
Common Bottlenose Dolphin has a worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate latitudes but
exhibits a strong ability to adapt to local conditions, a complex social structure and strong site fidelity
which results in considerable habitat partitioning throughout its range. This, in turn, has created strong
population differentiation accompanied, in some cases, by marked morphological differentiation. The
taxonomy of Bottlenose Dolphins is confused due to this geographical variation, and it is very possible
that additional species will be recognized in the future.
Three subspecies are currently recognized by the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on
Taxonomy (2017) and a recent re-assessment of Tursiops taxonomy worldwide conducted by the
International Whaling Commission confirmed their validity (IWC 2018). These subspecies are the Black
Sea Bottlenose Dolphin (T. t. ponticus Barabash-Nikiforov, 1940) which differs morphologically and
genetically from other forms including those in the nearby Mediterranean Sea (Barabash-Nikiforov
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Tursiops truncatus – published in 2019. 1
1960, Geptner et al. 1976, Natoli et al. 2005, Viaud-Martinez et al. 2008). The Lahille Bottlenose Dolphin
(T. t. gephyreus) (Lahille, 1908), a larger form in the coastal waters of the western South Atlantic Ocean,
is morphologically and genetically different from the offshore population in eastern South America
(Costa et al. 2015, 2016; Fruet et al. 2011, 2015). The third subspecies is the nominate subspecies that
includes the remaining Common Bottlenose Dolphins worldwide (T. t. truncatus (Montagu, 1821)). In
the western North Atlantic, two forms, offshore and coastal, are distinguishable on the basis of
morphology and ecological markers (Mead and Potter 1995) and have fixed genetic differences (Le Duc
and Curry 1997, Hoelzel et al. 1998, Kingston et al. 2009, Rosel et al. 2009, Van Waerebeek et al. 2017a)
and according to the recent IWC review the coastal population should be recognized as at least a
different subspecies.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2019
Date Assessed: May 13, 2018
Justification:
The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is among the most common cetacean species globally. These dolphins
are distributed worldwide in all three major ocean basins and the Mediterranean Sea. They occur in
tropical and temperate inshore, coastal, shelf, and oceanic waters. The sum of available abundance
estimates is around 750,000, however the vast majority of the species’ range has not been surveyed
therefore actual abundance is considerably higher. Coastal populations of Common Bottlenose Dolphin
are often small and resident and many of them are threatened by human activities. This species is
bycaught in fishing gear throughout their range but quantitative data on bycatch rates are lacking in
most areas. Several populations of Common Bottlenose Dolphin are of particular conservation concern,
including the Fiordland subpopulation in New Zealand which is classified as Critically Endangered
(Currey et al. 2013) the Mediterranean subpopulation which is classified as vulnerable (Bearzi et al.
2012) and the Black Sea subspecies which is classified as endangered (Birkum 2012). Some additional
discrete resident populations face serious threats from a variety of sources that are resulting in
significant population declines, and some of these (e.g., potentially the Gulf of California, Amvrakikos
Gulf, or Slovenia populations) may be assessed as separate subpopulations on the Red List in the future.
Despite all of this, the Common Bottlenose Dolphin is still one of the most widespread and abundant
cetacean species, and to date there is no evidence that the threats are resulting in a global population
decline. This species was listed as Least Concern on the Red List in 2008 and it remains Least Concern in
this updated assessment.
Previously Published Red List Assessments

2012 – Least Concern (LC)
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012.RLTS.T22563A17347397.en
2008 – Least Concern (LC)
1996 – Data Deficient (DD)
1994 – Insufficiently Known (K)
Geographic Range
Range Description:
Common Bottlenose Dolphins occur worldwide through tropical and temperate inshore, coastal, shelf,
and oceanic waters (Leatherwood and Reeves 1990, Wells and Scott 1999, Reynolds et al. 2000). They
range poleward of 45° in northern Europe (as far as the Faroe Islands 62°N 7°W; Bloch and Mikkelsen
2000) and southern New Zealand (Brough et al. 2015), and the species was recently reported as far
south as 53-55oS in South America (Olavarría et al. 2010, Goodall et al. 2011). In the eastern Pacific they
have been seen as far north as British Columbia (50oN) but their typical range is up to 41oN (Halpin et al.
2018). Common Bottlenose Dolphins are rare in the Baltic Sea (best considered extralimital there) and
are vagrant to Newfoundland and Norway (Wells and Scott 1999). They occur regularly in the Red Sea
(Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. 2018) and the Arabian Sea (Baldwin et al. 1999).
Country Occurrence:
Native: Albania; Algeria; American Samoa; Angola; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba;
Australia; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and
Saba (Saba, Sint Eustatius); Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei
Darussalam; Bulgaria; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada (Newfoundland I - Vagrant); Cayman
Islands; Chile; China; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Colombia; Comoros; Congo; Cook Islands;
Costa Rica; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cuba; Curaçao; Cyprus; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican
Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Eritrea; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Faroe Islands; Fiji; France;
French Guiana; French Polynesia; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greece;
Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guernsey; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras;
Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Ireland; Isle of Man; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jersey; Kenya; Kiribati;
Korea, Republic of; Lebanon; Liberia; Libya; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Malta; Marshall Islands;
Martinique; Mauritania; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia, Federated States of ; Monaco; Montenegro;
Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nauru; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand;
Nicaragua; Nigeria; Niue; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Panama; Papua New
Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Pitcairn; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Réunion; Romania; Russian Federation; Saint
Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part);
Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi
Arabia; Senegal; Seychelles; Singapore; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Somalia;
South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania,
United Republic of; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Turks and Caicos
Islands; Ukraine; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of;
Viet Nam; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Wallis and Futuna; Western Sahara; Yemen
Vagrant: Norway
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:

Native: Atlantic - western central, Atlantic - southwest, Atlantic - southeast, Atlantic - eastern central,
Atlantic - northeast, Atlantic - northwest, Indian Ocean - eastern, Indian Ocean - western,
Mediterranean and Black Sea - , Pacific - southeast, Pacific - eastern central, Pacific - western central,
Pacific - southwest, Pacific - northeast, Pacific - northwest
Distribution Map
Tursiops truncatus
Population
Abundance of Common Bottlenose Dolphins has been estimated for several parts of the species' range.
Summing available estimates, a minimum world-wide abundance estimate would be 750,000,
acknowledging that most of the range of the species has not been surveyed for abundance estimation,
and some of the estimates included in the summation are out of date.
Recent surveys by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (Hayes et al. 2017) have estimated 97,964
Bottlenose Dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico (5,806 (coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.39) in
oceanic waters beyond the shelf edge, 51,192 (CV = 0.10) on the outer continental shelf, 39,734 in
coastal waters, and 1,232 in bays, sounds, and estuaries. There are approximately 110,000 Common
Bottlenose Dolphins off the east coast of North America (including 77,532 (CV = 0.40) in offshore waters,
31,212 in coastal waters, and 1,209 in bays, sounds, and estuaries. For both regions, current estimates
are not available for most of the bays, sounds, and estuaries (Hayes et al. 2017). Recent stock
assessment reports for U.S. Pacific waters indicated that there are 453 (CV = 0.06) Common Bottlenose
Dolphins in coastal California waters, and 1,924 (CV = 0.54) in the offshore waters of California, Oregon,
and Washington (Carretta et al. 2017). These stock assessments include abundance estimates for
individual stocks in Hawaiian waters: Kauai/Niihau, 147 (CV = 0.11), Oahu, 594 (CV = 0.54), 4-Islands,
153 (CV = 0.24), Hawaii Island, 102 (CV = 0.13), and Hawaii Pelagic, 5,590 (CV = 0.59) (Carretta et al.
2017). Surveys of the Eastern Tropical Pacific resulted in an estimate of 243,500 (CV = 0.29) (Wade and
Gerrodette 1993), but this estimate should be considered with caution given the fact that it is more than
25 years old. No recent abundance estimates for Common Bottlenose Dolphins in Japanese waters are
available (Kasuya 2017). Japanese surveys prior to 1993 resulted in estimates of 168,000 (CV = 0.26) in
the Northwestern Pacific west of 180°E, including 36,791 (CV = 0.25) in Japanese coastal waters
(Miyashita 1993). In the eastern Sulu Sea, Dolar et al. (2006) estimated 2,628 Common Bottlenose
Dolphins 1994-1995 (CV = 0.40). A large-scale survey (SCANS-III) of European Atlantic waters from the
Strait of Gibraltar in the south to 62°N in the north and extending west to the 200 nm limits of most
European Union Member State Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) was conducted in 2016 (Hammond et al.
2017). The final surveyed area excluded offshore waters of Portugal and to the south and west of Ireland
(surveyed by the Irish ObSERVE project), and included coastal waters of Norway north to Vestfjorden. In
total, 27,700 (CV = 0.23) Common Bottlenose Dolphins were estimated (Hammond et al. 2017). As part
of the ObSERVE aerial surveys of the Irish EEZ, 8,700 km of line transect aerial surveys were conducted
in Beaufort sea state ≤4 in both the summer (May-June 2016) and winter (November-February) of
2016/2017. There were clear seasonal differences in habitat use and abundance of Common Bottlenose
Dolphins, which showed an approximate 2.5 fold increase in density during winter (0.626
individuals/km2) compared to summer (0.257 individuals/km2). The summer abundance estimate was
87,330 (CV = 0.21) (Rogan et al. 2017). In Scottish waters, abundance was estimated as 195 (95% highest
posterior density intervals (HPDI): 162–253) from the Moray Firth to Fife and 45 (95% HPDI: 33–66) in
the Hebrides, leading to the conclusion that 200-300 Common Bottlenose Dolphins inhabit the inshore
coastal waters of Scotland (Cheney et al. 2013). A community of 420 dolphins (95% confidence interval
(CI) = 331–521) was documented in the Normano-Breton Gulf of the English Channel (Louis et al. 2015).
Photo-identification surveys of Common Bottlenose Dolphins in the Shannon Estuary of western Ireland
in 2010 resulted in an abundance estimate of 107 (CV = 0.12; 95% CI = 83 to 131)) (Berrow et al. 2012).
Total abundance for the Mediterranean Sea Common Bottlenose Dolphin subpopulation, listed as
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, is unknown but thought to be in the low 10,000’s and decreasing
(Bearzi et al. 2008, Bearzi and Fortuna 2006). Surveys of 86,000 km2 of the northwestern Mediterranean
off Spain in 2002 estimated 7,654 (CV = 0.45) Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Forcada et al. 2004). Based
on surveys in 2000-2003 an estimated 584 (CV = 0.28) individuals occur in the Alboran Sea of Spain
(Cañadas and Hammond 2006). Abundance estimates for other parts of the Mediterranean Sea include
148 (95% CI = 132 to 180) in the Amvrakikos Gulf, western Greece (Bearzi et al. 2008), 1,676 (95% CI =
804-3,492) in the Pelagos Sanctuary of the western Mediterranean (Lauriano et al. 2014), 517 (95% CI =
406-658) in the Balearic Islands (Gonzalvo et al. 2014), and 42 (95% CI = 42.0 to 43.1) off northeastern
Tunisia (Benmessaoud et al. 2013). A decline in the resident Common Bottlenose Dolphin population
inhabiting the Kvarnerić area of the northern Adriatic Sea, Croatia during 1995-2003 appears to have
been reversed, with about 200 individuals currently using the area (Pleslić et al. 2013). Bottlenose
dolphins near Lampedusa Island, Italy, have increased significantly since 1998 to 249 (95% CI = 162 to
449) (Pulcini et al. 2014). Mediterranean Bottlenose Dolphins exhibit subpopulation structure, based on
behavior, toxicology, diet, and genetics (Borrell et al. 2005, Natoli et al. 2005, Bearzi et al. 2008). The
total population size of the Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphin subspecies, currently listed as Endangered, is
unknown. However, there are abundance estimates for parts of the range suggesting that population
size is at least several thousand individuals (Birkun 2006, 2012). Off South America, 83 (95% CI = 73 to
112) Common Bottlenose Dolphins were estimated in Bahía San Antonio, Argentina in 2006-2008
(Vermuelen and Cammareri 2009). Further to the south in Patagonia, in Golfo San José and adjacent
areas, Common Bottlenose Dolphin abundance has declined since the 1970s from at least 53 to 34
dolphins (CV = 0.20) and range shifts have been observed; the causes of these changes could not be
conclusively determined (Coscarella et al. 2012). Investigations into possible short-term declines in
Common Bottlenose Dolphin abundance due to bycatch in Patos Lagoon, Brazil, found the population to
be stable over the period 1998-2012, with an estimate in 2012 of 78 animals (95% CI = 70-86) (Fruet et
al. 2011, 2015). Off New Zealand, the Fiordland Bottlenose Dolphin subpopulation is listed as Critically
Endangered, with only 205 (95% CI: 192-219) individuals in 2008, of which 123 were mature (Currey et
al. 2009). Elsewhere in New Zealand, there are an estimated 211 Common Bottlenose Dolphins (95% CI
= 195 to 232) in the Marlborough Sounds (Merriman et al. 2009) and 92 (95% CI = 80 to 111) near
Stewart Island (Brough et al. 2015). Common Bottlenose Dolphins in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand
showed a 7.5% annual rate of decline from 1997-1999 to 2003-2006 (Tezanos-Pinto et al. 2013).
Around the island of São Tomé, off the west coast of Africa, Common Bottlenose Dolphins were the
most commonly sighted cetaceans during a total of 226 surveys between 2002 and 2006, and in 2012. In
total, 140 individuals were photo-identified, and the high rate of discovery of new individuals suggested
that these were part of a much larger population (Pereira et al. 2013). In 2011-2013, during 13,694 km
of visual survey transects in continental shelf and slope waters off Northwest Africa, between Tangier
and Conakry, T. truncatus were (after the Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis) the second-most
frequently encountered cetaceans, accounting for 9.6% of total sightings (Djiba et al. 2015). In offshore
waters of the Western Indian Ocean, Bottlenose Dolphins, the majority of which appeared to be T.
truncatus, were among the most common cetaceans observed (Ballance and Pitman 1998).
Current Population Trend: Unknown
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)

Common Bottlenose Dolphins are found in a wide range of habitats from coastal to pelagic waters (Wells
and Scott 1999). Where distinct ecotypes are known, the inshore form frequents estuaries, bays,
lagoons and other shallow coastal regions, occasionally ranging far up into rivers. The offshore form
tends to be less restricted in range and movement. Some Common Bottlenose Dolphins are residents
around oceanic islands (Baird 2016). In many inshore areas Common Bottlenose Dolphins maintain
definable, long-term, multi-generational home ranges, but in some locations near the extremes of the
species’ range they are migratory. Off the coasts of North America, they tend to inhabit waters with
surface temperatures ranging from about 10°C to 32°C (Wells and Scott, 1999). Black Sea Bottlenose
Dolphins are common over the shelf of this semi-enclosed basin; they sometimes occur far offshore
(Birkun 2006).
Common Bottlenose Dolphins are commonly associated with many other cetaceans, including large
whales and other dolphin species (Wells and Scott 1999). Mixed schools with Indo-Pacific Bottlenose
Dolphins have been observed, for instance, in the Taiwan Strait (J. Wang pers. comm.).
Bottlenose Dolphins consume a wide variety of prey species, mostly fish and squid (Barros and Odell
1990, Barros and Wells 1998, Blanco et al. 2001, Santos et al. 2001). They sometimes eat shrimp and
other crustaceans.
Systems: Marine
Use and Trade

Common Bottlenose Dolphins are hunted in some areas (St. Vincent, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, West
Africa) for human consumption, and as bait in fisheries. In addition, Common Bottlenose Dolphins are
sometimes removed from the wild and maintained under human care for public display, research, and
training to support specific military and civilian functions at sea. They are increasingly the objects of
dolphin watching (tourism) activities.
Threats (see Appendix for additional information)

In many places Common Bottlenose Dolphins are found in coastal waters, bringing them into contact
with human activities. Conservation problems are known or suspected for at least: (a) the Critically
Endangered Fiordland Bottlenose Dolphin subpopulation in New Zealand (Currey et al. 2013), (b) the
Endangered Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphin subspecies (Birkun 2012), (c) the Vulnerable Mediterranean
Sea subpopulation (Bearzi et al. 2008, 2012), and the dolphins in (d) Sri Lanka (Leatherwood and Reeves
1989); (e) Peru, Ecuador, and Chile (Read et al. 1988, Van Waerebeek et al. 1990, Sanino et al. 2005,
Mangel et al. 2010); (f) Taiwan (Wang et al. 1999 pers. comm.); (g) Japan (Kasuya 2017) and (h) Gulf of
California, Mexico (Segura-García et al. 2018). Dolphin catches for bait, for human consumption, or to
reduce competition with fisheries have been reported worldwide (Wells and Scott 1999, 2018). In a
global review of the use of cetaceans as bait in fisheries, Common Bottlenose Dolphins were among the
most frequently used (Mintzer et al. 2018). They were reported as being used for bait in Ghana, Italy,
Mexico, Nigeria, Venezuela and Spain. In Peru, some coastal artisanal fisheries from at least one port
take Common Bottlenose Dolphins for bait, using harpoons, while about 57% of Common Bottlenose
Dolphins caught in gillnets as bycatch are discarded at sea; the extent to which such takes occur
elsewhere along the Peruvian coast is not known (Mangel et al. 2010). This species is taken
opportunistically by harpoon in Sri Lanka (Ilangakoon 1997). In Taiwan, Common Bottlenose Dolphins
comprised a major part of the small cetaceans taken by harpoon in the past (J. Wang, pers. comm.).
Although little evidence has been collected and reported since the 1990s, illegal hunting of cetaceans
still occurs in Taiwan as evidenced by periodic news reports of police confiscations of cetacean parts.
Directed hunting of cetaceans, including Common Bottlenose Dolphins, for local consumption occurs in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Caldwell and Caldwell 1975) and in West Africa (Van Waerebeek et al.
2008). The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is reported to be one of several species targeted by hunters in
Indonesia (Mustika 2006).
The only Mediterranean area with quantitative historical information is the northern Adriatic Sea, where
Common Bottlenose Dolphins likely have declined by at least 50% over the past 50 years, largely as a
consequence of historical killing in extermination campaigns to reduce competition for fish, followed by
habitat degradation and overfishing. The extermination campaigns were conducted until the early 1960s
(Bearzi et al. 2004, 2008, Bearzi and Fortuna 2006). For the northwestern Mediterranean, the available
information suggests similar trends (Bearzi and Fortuna 2006). There continues to be substantial
incidental mortality in fishing gear, and overfishing of dolphin prey, disturbance by marine traffic, and
high levels of contamination by pollutants are of concern in much of the Mediterranean Sea (Bearzi et
al. 2012).
Drive hunts of small cetaceans, including Common Bottlenose Dolphins, exist in the Faroe Islands and
Japan. Up to 308 are taken annually in the Faroe Islands drive hunt (dating back to 1803), often with
Long-finned Pilot Whales (Reyes 1991, Bloch 1998). Drive and harpoon hunts in Japan catch Common
Bottlenose Dolphins for human consumption and to remove perceived competition with commercial
fisheries (Wells and Scott 1999, Kasuya 2017). Average catch from 1995–2004 was 594 per year (Kasuya
2017). Since 2000, the catch at Taiji in Japan has declined to fewer than 200 Common Bottlenose
Dolphins per year, after a peak of 1,670 in 1987 (Kasuya 2017).
The Endangered Black Sea subspecies was hunted extensively to obtain commercial products including
oils, lubricants, food, meal, glue, and leather goods (Tomilin 1957, Buckland et al. 1992). An estimated
24,000 - 28,000 were taken in the Black Sea off Turkey during 1946–1983. However, the total number
killed was certainly much greater (probably by tens of thousands) as these figures do not include, or
only partially include, catch statistics from other Black Sea countries (Birkun 2006, 2012).
The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common cetacean species in captivity worldwide (Fisher
and Reeves 2005). Live captures of Common Bottlenose Dolphins for public display, research, and
military applications have occurred in several parts of the species' range. There is no worldwide
estimate of the scale of these removals, but more than 1,500 were live-captured in United States,
Mexican, and Bahamian waters through 1980 (Leatherwood and Reeves 1982, Fisher and Reeves 2005).
Up to 1983 at least 198 Common Bottlenose Dolphins were reported to have been live-captured for
European aquaria (Collet 1984). More recently, eight were collected illegally in the Dominican Republic
in 2002 (Parsons et al. 2010) and live-capture efforts in Senegal in 2003 led to the death of at least five
dolphins (Van Waerebeek et al. 2008). At least 238 Common Bottlenose Dolphins were live-captured in
Cuba in 1986–2004 (Van Waerebeek et al. 2006), and 15 in the Solomon Islands in 2013 (Oremus et al.
2015). Some Common Bottlenose Dolphins captured during drive hunts in Japan are collected alive for
marine parks in Japan and internationally (Butterworth et al. 2013). The cumulative live-capture
removals of Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphins, not counting mortality during capture operations, is
estimated to be from several hundred up to around 1,000 since the mid-1960s for military, academic,
and display purposes, including swim-with-dolphins programs (Birkun 2002). Live-captures through 2002
took 10-20 animals annually from a small area in the Kerch Strait, Russia (Birkun 2002, 2006, 2012).
According to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) statistics, at least 92
individuals were removed from the Black Sea region during 1990-1999 (Reeves et al. 2003), and Russia
reportedly exported at least 66 for travelling shows from 1997-2005 (Fisher and Reeves 2005).
Incidental mortality of Common Bottlenose Dolphins is known to occur throughout the species’ range in
set gillnets, drift gillnets, purse seines, trawls, and longlines, and on hook-and-line gear used in
commercial and recreational fisheries, but the level of mortality is poorly documented from most range
states (Wells and Scott 1999, Wells et al. 2008). Set gillnet, purse-seine and drift gillnet fisheries off Peru
continue to take an unknown but potentially large number annually (Van Waerebeek et al. 2017b,
Alfaro-Shigueto et al. 2010), and some of those taken as bycatch or directly were being sold in fish
markets at least through 2007, as determined by molecular evidence (Tzika et al. 2010). Prior to 2001,
the estimated annual incidental mortality of Common Bottlenose Dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific
purse seine fishery for tuna ranged up to almost 200 per year, but during 2001-2016, the average
mortality declined to 2.9 per year (Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission data, M. Scott pers.
comm.). Incidental catches in Chinese fisheries reached several hundred per year in the 1990s (Yang et
al. 1999). Bottom trawls and sink gillnets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. take on average 27
offshore Common Bottlenose Dolphins annually, pelagic longlines take 12 Common Bottlenose Dolphins
on average each year (Hayes et al. 2017), and shrimp trawls take an unknown number each year
(Greenman and McFee 2014). Common Bottlenose Dolphins were the third most frequently caught
cetaceans in gillnets in Sri Lanka (Ilangakoon 1997). Taiwanese coastal and distant-water longline
fisheries for tunas and sharks take Common Bottlenose Dolphins incidentally, as do a variety of
Taiwanese gillnet (including driftnets and trammel nets) and purse-seine fisheries in coastal and distant
(e.g., Western Tropical Pacific) waters (Wang and Yang 2002, J. Wang pers. comm.).
Annual Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphin incidental mortality in bottom-set gillnets from 1946 through the
1980s was roughly estimated as being in the hundreds. The scale of this mortality almost certainly
increased in the 1990s-2000s owing to the rapid expansion of illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing (Birkun 2006, 2012). According to Öztürk (1999) at least 200 Bottlenose Dolphins may have been
taken incidentally per year in Turkish fisheries in a variety of fishing nets, especially bottom-set gill nets.
Common Bottlenose Dolphins in coastal areas are exposed to a wide variety of threats in addition to
direct and incidental takes (Vollmer and Rosel 2013). Threats that are cause for concern include: 1) the
toxic effects of xenobiotic chemicals; 2) reduced prey availability caused by environmental degradation
and overfishing; 3) direct and indirect disturbance and harassment (e.g., boat traffic and commercial
dolphin watching and interactive programs); 4) marine construction, including demolition, dredging, and
land reclamation, and 5) other forms of habitat destruction and degradation (including anthropogenic
noise). Although these and other threats are technically challenging to quantify by comparison with
removals, their cumulative impact is likely to result in population declines. The contribution of
anthropogenic factors to an increasing number of Unusual Mortality Events involving Common
Bottlenose Dolphins remains to be determined (Spradlin et al. 2005). The Critically Endangered
Fiordland (New Zealand) Bottlenose Dolphin subpopulation faces threats from boat-based tourism,
increased freshwater discharge from hydroelectric power generation, and reduced prey availability from
environmental degradation and overfishing (Currey et al. 2013). Environmental contaminants likely
impact health and reproductive success of the Common Bottlenose Dolphins in parts of its range. Lahvis
et al. (1995) correlated concentrations of PCBs and DDT in the blood of inshore Bottlenose Dolphins
with decline in immune system function. Males in some areas such as Florida accumulate levels of PCBs
more than an order of magnitude greater than the threshold for adverse health effects identified by
Kannan et al. (2000). A risk assessment relative to PCB burdens suggested elevated probabilities of first-
born mortality at several sites in the U.S. (Schwacke et al. 2002, Wells et al. 2005). Jepson et al. (2016)
reported that Common Bottlenose Dolphins in Europe had mean PCB concentrations that greatly
exceeded all known marine mammal PCB toxicity thresholds. The spatial patterns of PBDEs and the
ΣDDTs/ΣPCBs detected in Common Bottlenose Dolphin blubber have been shown to vary significantly
with adjacent watersheds and land use associations in the southeastern United States (Adams et al.
2014). The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 was one of the worst environmental catastrophes in the
history of the United States. The oil spill adversely impacted the health, reproduction, and survival of
Common Bottlenose Dolphins along much of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico (Schwacke et al.
2014, Lane et al. 2015). For the stock in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, where oiling was heavy, the spill
resulted in an estimated 30,347 lost cetacean years (the difference between baseline and injured
population size, summed over the modeled time period) (95% CI: 11,511-89,746), and models suggested
the time to recovery of the population would be 39 years (95% CI: 24 to 80) (Schwacke et al. 2017).
Similar recovery timelines were predicted for other nearby stocks. There is concern that planned large-
scale diversions of fresh water from the Mississippi River into Barataria Bay may hamper the recovery of
this stock. Common Bottlenose Dolphins sometimes forage around fish-farm cages or take fish from
gillnets (e.g., Reeves et al. 2001, Read et al. 2003), commercial trawling gear, crab traps, or recreational
fishing gear (Wells and Scott 1999). This can result in incidental mortality through entanglement,
hooking, and ingestion of gear (Powell and Wells 2011, Wells et al. 2008, Baird 2016, Stolen et al. 2013).
Common Bottlenose Dolphins conditioned to receive food items are more likely to be injured by human
interactions than unconditioned dolphins, leading to decreased survival and potentially to
consequences at the population level (Donaldson et al. 2010, Christiansen et al. 2016). Developments in
recreational fishing line technology include microfilament braided twine that is more damaging to
dolphin tissues than simple monofilament (Barco et al. 2010). Dredging and demolition associated with
marine construction have been demonstrated to at least temporarily displace Common Bottlenose
Dolphins from their normal range (Buckstaff et al. 2013, Pirotta et al. 2013). Morbillivirus has been
responsible for several documented epizootic events involving deaths of hundreds to thousands of
Common Bottlenose Dolphins in the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (Rowles et al. 2011).
During an outbreak along the U.S. Atlantic coast in 1987-88, more than 740 Common Bottlenose
Dolphins died between New Jersey and Florida. During 2013-2015, more than 1,800 Common
Bottlenose Dolphin carcasses were recovered during a morbillivirus event along the Atlantic coast from
New York to Florida (NOAA/NMFS 2015). In each of these cases, it should be noted that only a fraction
of the actual mortality is generally documented as stranded carcasses, so the number of deaths from
the disease are likely much higher (Williams et al. 2011, Wells et al. 2015). It is not known if
anthropogenic factors increase susceptibility to the disease.
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)

The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is listed in Appendix II of CITES. The subpopulation in the western
Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea subspecies (T. t. ponticus) are on Appendix I of the Convention on
Migratory Species (CMS), while the entire species, Tursiops truncates, is on Appendix II.
The Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been afforded special protected status under Annex II of the
European Union’s Habitats Directive. Commercial hunting of Black Sea cetaceans including Bottlenose
Dolphins was banned in 1966 in the former USSR, Bulgaria and Romania, and in 1983 in Turkey. The
Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been protected in the United States under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act since 1972.
Credits
Assessor(s): Wells, R.S., Natoli, A. & Braulik, G.
Reviewer(s): Reeves, R. & Taylor, B.L.
Facilitators(s) and Lowry, L.

Compiler(s):
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Citation
Wells, R.S., Natoli, A. & Braulik, G. 2019. Tursiops truncatus (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22563A156932432. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-
1.RLTS.T22563A156932432.en
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To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Major
Habitat Season Suitability
Importance?
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.1. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent - Marginal -

Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.1. Marine Neritic - Pelagic Resident Suitable Yes
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.10. Marine Neritic - Estuaries Resident Suitable Yes
10. Marine Oceanic -> 10.1. Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m) Resident Suitable Yes
13. Marine Coastal/Supratidal -> 13.4. Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal - Marginal -

Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes
Threats
Threat Timing Scope Severity Impact Score
1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.1. Ongoing - - -

Housing & urban areas
Stresses: 1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation

Commercial & industrial areas

Tourism & recreation areas
4. Transportation & service corridors -> 4.3. Shipping Ongoing - - -

lanes
Stresses: 2. Species Stresses -> 2.1. Species mortality
2. Species Stresses -> 2.2. Species disturbance
5. Biological resource use -> 5.4. Fishing & harvesting Ongoing - - -

aquatic resources -> 5.4.1. Intentional use:
(subsistence/small scale) [harvest]

aquatic resources -> 5.4.3. Unintentional effects:
(subsistence/small scale) [harvest]
aquatic resources -> 5.4.5. Persecution/control
6. Human intrusions & disturbance -> 6.1. Ongoing - - -

Recreational activities
Stresses: 2. Species Stresses -> 2.2. Species disturbance
9. Pollution -> 9.1. Domestic & urban waste water -> Ongoing - - -
9.1.3. Type Unknown/Unrecorded
Stresses: 1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
9. Pollution -> 9.2. Industrial & military effluents -> Ongoing - - -

9. Pollution -> 9.3. Agricultural & forestry effluents -> Ongoing - - -

Conservation Actions in Place

Conservation Actions in Place

In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: Yes, over part of range
In-Place Education
Included in international legislation: Yes
Subject to any international management/trade controls: Yes
Conservation Actions Needed

Conservation Actions Needed

3. Species management -> 3.1. Species management -> 3.1.1. Harvest management
Research Needed
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.1. Taxonomy
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
1. Research -> 1.5. Threats
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.6. Actions
3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends
3. Monitoring -> 3.2. Harvest level trends
3. Monitoring -> 3.4. Habitat trends
Additional Data Fields

Distribution
Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO): No
Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): No
Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO): No
Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO): No
Continuing decline in number of locations: No
Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations: No
Population
Population severely fragmented: No
Habitats and Ecology

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Unknown
Movement patterns: Not a Migrant
Errata
Errata reason: This errata version has been generated to remove the section about the UAE from the
Taxonomic Notes which was erroneously copied into the global assessment from the
national assessment. The distribution map for this species has also been updated.
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership.
The IUCN Red List Partners are: Arizona State University; BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens
Conservation International; Conservation International; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew;
Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M University; and Zoological Society of London.
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Tursiops Truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin IUCN Assessment 2019

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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™

ISSN 2307-8235 (online)

Tursiops truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin

THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Delphinidae

Taxon Name: Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)

Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:

Year Published: 2019

Date Assessed: May 13, 2018

Previously Published Red List Assessments

2008 – Least Concern (LC)

1996 – Data Deficient (DD)

1994 – Insufficiently Known (K)

FAO Marine Fishing Areas:

Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)

Use and Trade

Threats (see Appendix for additional information)

Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)

Reviewer(s): Reeves, R. & Taylor, B.L.

Facilitators(s) and Lowry, L.

Barabasch-Nikiforov, I. I. 1960. Measurements and coloration of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus

Greenman, J. T. and McFee, W. E. 2014. A characterisation of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops

5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.1. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent - Marginal -

13. Marine Coastal/Supratidal -> 13.4. Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal - Marginal -

Threat Timing Scope Severity Impact Score

1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.1. Ongoing - - -

1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.2. Ongoing - - -

1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.3. Ongoing - - -

4. Transportation & service corridors -> 4.3. Shipping Ongoing - - -

5. Biological resource use -> 5.4. Fishing & harvesting Ongoing - - -

5. Biological resource use -> 5.4. Fishing & harvesting Ongoing - - -

6. Human intrusions & disturbance -> 6.1. Ongoing - - -

9. Pollution -> 9.2. Industrial & military effluents -> Ongoing - - -

9. Pollution -> 9.3. Agricultural & forestry effluents -> Ongoing - - -

Conservation Actions in Place

Conservation Actions in Place

Conservation sites identified: Yes, over part of range

Included in international legislation: Yes

Subject to any international management/trade controls: Yes

Conservation Actions Needed

Conservation Actions Needed

1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends

1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology

1. Research -> 1.5. Threats

3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends

3. Monitoring -> 3.2. Harvest level trends

3. Monitoring -> 3.4. Habitat trends

Additional Data Fields

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): No

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO): No

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO): No

Continuing decline in number of locations: No

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations: No

Habitats and Ecology

Movement patterns: Not a Migrant

THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™

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