Our dolphin harvest study has ended for 2017 with the beginning of August. This research is conducted at a major marina in Charleston, South Carolina, where it has been carried out since 2014 to document and characterize the recreational dolphin fishery off South Carolina. This issue of the newsletter reports on some of the findings of that study and shows how the 2017 fishery compared to previous years. Also, Dr. Merten has provided us with an article that examines the migration and life stage size progression using the tagging data. I think that you will find these articles very interesting.

I am very happy to announce that the DRP has reached its annual baseline goal for the number of tagging dolphin tagged each year, with more than 1,000 dolphin having been tagged by the end of July. Only in two years, 2002 and 2016, have there been fewer than one thousand fish tagged. This remarkable accomplishment was achieved only through the dedication of recreational anglers.