About

Founded in 2015, the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project studies the 2000+ Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

Our Mission

The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project's (PCDP) mission is to better understand and protect the Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus) of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

• Despite being the largest, and most populated estuary in the U.S., little is known about the area's bottlenose dolphins, yet reports of dolphins date back to the 1800s.

Research

Very little is known about the Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops erebennus) in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. The PCDP research is broadly concerned with better understanding all aspects of these animals’ biology.

Our current research focuses on:

• The dolphins’ abundance and distribution

• Population structure

• The intersection of their social behavior and disease risk

• Demography

• Mother and calf behavior

Have you seen Dolphins in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay?