There are bottlenose dolphins in our Chesapeake Bay but researchers know very little about them.
Dr. Helen Bailey and her team at the University of Maryland are working to figure out when, where, and why dolphins visit the bay but they can't do it alone.
They created a web-based app called DolphinWatch so you can let them know when you see a dolphin in the Bay. You just need to point to where you saw the dolphin or use your current location and the information goes to researchers.
The team discovered the increase of dolphins by accident when they were testing underwater microphones called sea pods off the end of a research pier.
Dolphins will come to the Bay from April to September, with the peak time being June through August.
The app is intended to help researchers learn more about the dolphins and how to protect them in local waters.
