  One Year Later, Multiple Dolphin Deaths Still Baffle
Scientists   In St. Joe Bay, spring 2004, there were dead
bottlenose dolphins as far as the eye could see, over 100 in
just one month. A year later, researchers are back on the bay,
still baffled by the mass mortality.  Brian Balmer, graduate
research assistant at UNCW, says, "If it happened in Sarasota,
the entire population would have been wiped out."  The locals
call them dolphin huggers, but don't be fooled by the name.
Brian, Stephanie and Michelle never actually touch the dolphins.
They track them.  Using radio tags, the team can spot a school,
slow their speed, and start clicking away. Still, questions
remain like why two unusual mortality events occurred in the
past five years, one in ‘99, the other last spring.  What
researchers know is red tide is likely a factor, but what they
still don't know are the other variables involved, variables
this team hopes to uncover one dolphin at a time.  Michelle
Barbieri, a UNCW researcher, says, "It obviously