OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ)– The National Aquarium and some volunteers gathered in Ocean City for the Annual Maryland Dolphin Count where they recorded much fewer sightings of the mammal compared with last year.

Volunteers and National Aquarium staff from the Marine Animal Rescue Program spotted 31 dolphins during the count. Last year, they sighted 107, which the National Aquarium said is a normal number.

The National Aquarium said the low number of dolphins is likely the result of a combination of factors like weather, food availability for the dolphins and bigger swells.

The annual dolphin counts are intended to help marine mammal specialists track dolphin populations, their reproduction rates and the health of the coastal ecosystem.