Kim Bassos-Hull, MS, Senior Biologist

        I have been part of the program since 1990 when I started my Master’s thesis research evaluating the reintroduction of two bottlenose dolphins (Echo and Misha), back to the wild after two years in captivity.My research interests with marine mammals started while I was in high school in West Hartford, Connecticut and I had the opportunity to see right whales in the wild off Provincetown, Massachusetts and learn about the conservation issues surrounding them. This interest took me all the way to the other coast to attend the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) for both my undergraduate and master’s degrees. As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to learn new and interesting things about marine mammals from a truly inspiring researcher and naturalist, Dr. Kenneth Norris. I also studied elephant seal social behavior at Año Nuevo under Dr. Burney LeBouef and spent a month in Hawaii studying spinner dolphin behavior on the north shore of Kauai. These research experiences led me to Long Marine Lab at UCSC where I met Randy Wells and Michelle Jeffries and I got to participate in research training with Pacific whitesided dolphins and two bottlenose dolphins (Echo and Misha). With plans to release Echo and Misha back to the wild in Florida and study their behavior after release, I was invited to be Randy’s first graduate student at UCSC to do just that. In addition I helped the SDRP with several boat-based photo-identification surveys of bottlenose dolphins in Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Pine Island Sound to determine abundance trends for the National Marine Fisheries Service. After completing my Master’s degree in 1993 I stayed on with Randy’s program based at Mote as his lab manager from 1993 to 1999. I also married Mote’s boat captain, Peter Hull, and together we have two boys (Ian (12) and Dylan (7)). Since 2001 I have been the primary investigator on a project to determine dolphin abundance, distribution, reproductive status, and site fidelity in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound especially since the area was impacted by Hurricane Charley in 2004. During these recent years I have noticed increasing human impacts on marine wildlife especially entanglement and dolphin/angler interactions. Therefore my current interests are promoting safe wildlife viewing and angling guidelines and fishing line clean-up and recycling through education and outreach to schools, boaters, and anglers alike.