NOAA Fisheries Studying Dolphins for Contaminants
By Trevor Spradlin
Because
of growing concern about marine mammals washing ashore in U.S. waters,
NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources’ Marine Mammal
Health and Stranding Response Program was created in the late 1980s.
It has since collaborated with scientists worldwide to investigate,
monitor, assess and respond to marine mammal health issues.
Under the
provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the office develops,
implements, and administers programs for the protection, conservation
and recovery of whales, dolphins and porpoises and most seals and sea
lions. It helps collect and disseminate health data, assesses health
trends in marine mammals, correlates health with available data on physical,
chemical, environmental and biological parameters, and coordinates effective
responses to unusual mortality events.
In recent years, high concentrations of potentially toxic substances
and an increase in new diseases have been documented, causing scientists
to begin exploring a possible link between these substances and marine
mammal mortality events. Their studies are contributing to a growing,
worldwide effort of marine mammal biomonitoring, not only to help assess
health and contaminant loads, but also to assist in determining the
impact of human activity on marine mammals, marine food chains and marine
ecosystem health.
credit: Trevor Spradlin/NOAA Fisheries
Dolphin lies safely on a foam pad as scientists collect breath
samples
and record the animal’s signature whistles.
|
Credit:
Martha Wells/Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
NOAA staff carefully hold dolphin during research procedures.
From left: Jeff Brown, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office;
Trevor Spradlin, NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources;
Scott Gudes, Deputy Under Secretary for NOAA; and Mara Browne,
NOAA Marine Policy Analyst.
|
In collaborating
with scientists around the world, Dr. Teri Rowles, DVM, Ph.D. and Dr.
Janet Whaley, DVM, coordinate efforts for NOAA. A key partner is the
Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, based at the Mote Marine Laboratory
in Sarasota, Florida. The program was founded by Drs. Randall Wells,
Michael Scott and Blair Irvine, who have been conducting research on
the resident population of bottlenose dolphins from the west coast of
Florida for over 30 years. It represents the combined efforts of the
Dolphin Biology Research Institute, the Conservation Biology Department
of the Chicago Zoological Society, Earthwatch and Mote Marine Laboratory.
The unique research links researchers from several academic institutions
and government agencies, including NOAA Fisheries scientists –
and is the longest ongoing field study of dolphins in the world.
Individual dolphins have been studied throughout the course of their
lives. To date, over 2500 different individual dolphins have been identified
from the west coast of Florida based on the unique markings on, and
shapes of, their dorsal fins. Over 100 of the dolphins have been studied
for contaminants. A cornerstone of the International Whaling Commission’s
Pollution 2000 effort, the program was launched to foster cooperative
efforts by Europe and the U.S. to better understand the impacts of contaminants
on marine mammals.
One or two weeks are devoted each summer, fall or winter to a temporary
capture and release program in order to conduct health assessment examinations
of the dolphins and research their physiology, bio-acoustics and genetics.
The dolphins are safely encircled by a net and carefully placed on a
medical boat for 30 to 45 minutes to allow the research team to examine
the animals closely. Once examinations are completed, the dolphins are
safely released. Health assessments include physical exams, blood sampling,
body condition, ultrasound, cultures, fecal analysis and urinalysis.
For the June 2002 field season, the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected
Resources invited Scott Gudes, the Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans
and Atmosphere, to learn about this unique and valuable research program
which has significantly contributed to NOAA’s marine mammal conservation
efforts. Scott was able to see first-hand how NOAA scientists, such
as Dr. Rowles, are working in successful partnership with outside academic
researchers and institutions to meet common goals.
Scott met Dr. Rowles, Dr. Wells and the rest of the research team on
June 4, 2002 and was able to actively participate in the research, including
capturing, holding, assessing and releasing the dolphins. Scott was
accompanied to Florida by Mara Brown from his office and Trevor Spradlin
from the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources. Jeff Brown from
the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office and Dr. John Reynolds from
the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission were also on site participating in
the research.
Dr. Wells and his colleagues have also been extremely supportive of
the NOAA Fisheries “Protect Dolphins” campaign which was
established to educate the public that feeding and harassing wild dolphins
is harmful to the animals, dangerous to people, and illegal under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act. Dr. Wells and his colleagues have conducted
research on the effects of people feeding or harassing wild dolphins,
provided the scientific information and photographic images used in
the “Protect Dolphins” materials, and have conducted a community-oriented
outreach program to promote safe and responsible viewing of wild dolphins
in partnership with NOAA Fisheries.
