Florida Man Examines Impact Of BP Oil Spill On Dolphins

MANATEE (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man's work is helping researchers better understand the impact the 2010 BP oil spill had on dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.

Randall S. Wells is helping federal researchers asses the health of dolphins in the northern Gulf off the Louisiana coast, according to the Bradenton Herald. He is the director of the Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

Wells regularly surveys a control group of about 160 dolphins living in the Sarasota Bay region and compares the health of those dolphins with the Louisiana dolphins.

So far, he has found that the south Florida dolphins are healthier than the Louisiana dolphins. But Wells says more study is needed to fully determine how the spill impacted dolphin populations.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)