Teresa Jablonski came to Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) in 2003 while she was working as an intern at SeaWorld Orlando, studying killer whale behavior and obtaining her degree from the University of Central Florida. She began as an HSWRI volunteer with the marine mammal stranding and research team and transitioned into a research assistant for the life history laboratory and stranding program in 2005. Teresa is an integral part of the HSWRI Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Program in Florida which is on call 24/7 to respond to whale and dolphin stranding events across nearly 40% of Florida’s east coast. Her research is focused on marine mammal health and life history, fishery interactions, and the population biology of Indian River Lagoon and Halifax River estuarine dolphins. She participated in the first comprehensive and most extensive aerial and vessel-based surveys in order to determine an accurate population size for local dolphin populations and has employed the most extensive tracking efforts for Indian River Lagoon dolphins. She was first responder in the rescue of famed dolphin, “Winter,” whose story was told in the movie Dolphin Tale.

Selected Publications

Durden, W.N., O’Corry-Crowe, G., Shippee, S., Jablonski, T., Rodgers, S. Mazzoil, M. Howells, E., Hartel, E., Potgieter, B., Londono, C., Moreland, L., Townsend, F., McCulloch, S. and Bossart, G. 2019. Small-scale movement patterns, activity budgets, and association patterns of radio-tagged Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).  Aquatic Mammals, 45(1): 66-87. doi: 10.1578/AM.45.1.2019.66

Rousselet, E., M. Stolen, W.N. Durden, T. Jablonski, N. Stacy, and D. Rotstein. 2018.  Bilateral polycystic kidneys and focal renal cystadenoma in a pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. doi: 10.7589/2018-01-019.

Durden, W.N., E.D. Stolen, T. Jablonski, S. Puckett, and M.K. Stolen. 2017. Monitoring seasonal abundance of Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using aerial surveys.Aquatic Mammals.43 (1): 90-112

Stolen, M.K., W.N. Durden, T. Mazza, N. Barros, J. St. Leger. 2013. Effects of recreational fishing gear on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon system, Florida. Marine Mammal Science 29: 356-364 2012

Stolen M., J. St. Leger, W.N. Durden., T. Mazza, E.  Nilson. 2013.  Fatal Asphyxiation in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon. PLoS ONE 8(6): e66828. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066828

Durden, W.N., J. St. Leger, M. Stolen, T. Mazza, and C. Londono. 2009. Lacaziosis in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops  truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. Journal ofWildlife Diseases 45: 849-856