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HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WILD DOLPHIN HEALTH NOW UNDERWAY FORT PIERCE, Fla. - July 17/03 - This month scientists from HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution and the National Ocean Service, along with other marine mammal experts, launched a 5-year comprehensive assessment of the health of wild dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and in Charleston, S.C. The main goal of the project is to identify serious health threats to the animals, such as pollutants, so that effective management plans can be designed. The study will involve close medical examination of a sample of dolphins from each area by a team of specialists in marine mammal research and medicine. A wide range of measurements and diagnostic tests will be used to conduct a comprehensive examination of each animal's health. During the first round of fieldwork for the project, which ran from July 7 to July 18th, researchers worked successfully with dozens of dolphins in the IRL. Charleston fieldwork will begin next month. The new project was prompted by concerns raised during HARBOR BRANCH's ongoing photo-identification study of IRL dolphins, which has now spanned six years. More than 30% of the 500 dolphins studied to date have as yet unexplained skin disorders and tumors. Also of concern, strandings of certain species have increased over the past two years. Researchers have investigated the deaths of numerous IRL dolphins and found evidence of a variety of diseases such as hepatitis, meningitis, pneumonia, and central nervous systems disorders, including some caused by fungi and protozoa. Some of these afflictions have never before been seen in dolphins. Due in part to such findings, study of disease in bottlenose dolphins has been identified as a "high priority" in the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The high prevalence of disturbing diseases in dolphins makes the timing of this study critical, and will provide a first-time opportunity to examine them closely and to relate their health problems to the conditions of their natural habitat. Such information is essential to formulating sound management and conservation measures. No comprehensive dolphin study of this kind has ever been conducted in the Charleston or IRL areas. In fact, mammals are among the least studied group of wildlife found at either location. By conducting parallel studies of dolphins in Charleston and the IRL, scientists will be able to compare two distinct populations influenced by very different environmental conditions. Assessing the health of these two populations of dolphins, and measuring changes in them from year to year over the course of the 5-year study, will help researchers zero in on the factors posing the greatest health risks. Dr. Pat Fair, NOS Branch Chief of Living Marine Resources and a collaborator on the project, says that besides helping scientists determine what environmental factors are currently a threat to dolphins, the research could also illuminate potential threats to humans. "If dolphins are not doing well, it says something about what humans may be exposed to and can link both ocean health and human health," she says. Dr. Gregory Bossart, director of HARBOR BRANCH's Division of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation and project leader, agrees. "We not only are going to learn about the health of the dolphins, we're also going to learn about the health of the environment, which directly impacts humans," he says, "That's the bottom line." To conduct health assessments, dolphins will be captured using nets and then hoisted aboard specially designed research vessels for examinations that will take less than 1 hour. During this time scientists will take various measurements of the animal such as length and weight. They will also collect tissue samples including feces, urine, blood and blubber and tag the animals so that the same animal will not be studied more than once and so that their movements can later be tracked. Some residents may begin noticing tag numbers on the dorsal fins of animals studied. During the examinations veterinarians will determine vital basic information about each dolphin such as sex and age. This information, coupled with analysis of samples collected will allow scientists to answer such questions as what diseases are impacting dolphins, as well as reveal possible causes of health problems. These could include high concentrations of pollutants from sewage or other sources, toxins from red tides, and other factors. "Unless we gather such data and act on it, an entire population of dolphin and the region itself could diminish within our lifetime," says Steve McCulloch, HARBOR BRANCH Dolphin & Whale Research Director. The IRL-Charleston project was approved by special permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service in April of this year after a rigorous review. This process involved approvals from the Marine Mammal Commission, several federal agencies, and a public comment period. Sampling methods to be used in the study are nearly identical to those employed at several locations such as Sarasota Bay during similar dolphin assessments and have proven safe and reliable during hundreds of examinations. NOTE: The NMFS permit for the work does not allow for filming or photographing the research for use by the media, however, stock footage and photos of dolphins are available upon request. Dr. Bossart will be available at HARBOR BRANCH to discuss the project from noon to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18. To make arrangements, please contact Mark Schrope. Media Contacts: Mark Schrope, HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution 772-465-2400 ext. 433, schrope@hboi.edu Donna Mccaskill, National Ocean Service 843-740-1277, Donna.Mccaskill@noaa.gov HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, Inc., is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of humankind.
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