Bottlenose dolphin stock structure research plan for the central northern gulf of Mexico

"In the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) range from inshore waters (bays, sounds, and estuaries), across the continental shelf, to upper continental slope waters (Mullin and Hansen 1999). The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended in 1994, stipulates that marine mammals in U.S. waters be managed and protected as stock units, that each stock be maintained at or above the optimum sustainable population (OSP), and that each stock remains a functioning part of the ecosystem it inhabits. OSP is the population level between carrying capacity and the level resulting in maximum net productivity, and while it is not well defined, it is above 50% of the carrying capacity (Gerrodette and DeMaster 1990)"--Introduction, paragraph 1. by Keith Mullin, Patricia Rosel, Aleta Hohn, and Lance Garrison. "October 2007." System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (pages 17-22).