Mortality and serious injury of common bottlenose dolphins due to Menhaden purse seine fishing in the Gulf of America during 2022–2023

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to distinguish between injuries to marine mammals that are serious and not serious, where a “serious injury” is defined as an injury that is more likely than not to lead to the death of the animal. NMFS has issued a policy directive and procedural directives to establish a process for distinguishing serious from non-serious injuries (NMFS 2012, 2023). This document summarizes the mortalities and serious injury determinations to common bottlenose dolphins (hereafter ‘dolphins’) that were observed via electronic monitoring or in-person observers in the Gulf of America (formerly, Gulf of Mexico) menhaden purse seine fishery in 2022 and 2023. Grant no. NA20OAR4320472 Grant no. NA25OARX432C0018