Date: Fri, 14 Nov 97 09:06:22 cst From: mark.fisher@tpwd.state.tx.us To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4341$foo@default> Subject: Fish or mammal?
>> I learn something knew every day. I must of been out fishing in
>>the Gulf Stream catching a school of fish Dolphin the day my teacher
>>cover it in high school.
>Dolphins are mammals, but then, I bet you already know that.
Uh-oh. There's a controversy a-brewing.
I am a marine biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,
so perhaps I can settle this. "Dolphin", unfortunately, is a name
shared by mammals and a fish. Randy was indeed catching a fish,
Coryphaena hippurus, aka dolphin, dorado, or mahi-mahi. Dolphin is
the officially recognized common name by the American Fisheries
Society. It is prized by recreational anglers, and tastes wonderful.
Rand was referring to a family of marine mammals commonly called
"dolphins" or "porpoises". In the Gulf, the Atlantic bottlenose
dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the most common, but we have many
species. All marine mammals are protected in U.S. waters by the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Interested parties may wish to
check out:
http://www.mms.gov/omm/gomr/homepg/regulate/environ/marmam/gulfcet4.ht
ml
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Mark
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