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Lack of dolphin deaths a marine mystery

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by Katie Moore / Eyewitness News

wwltv.com

Posted on July 21, 2010 at 6:26 PM

NEW ORLEANS -- To the surprise of some of the Gulf's best marine scientists, marine mammals, like dolphins, appear to have been spared the effects of the oil.

In fact, no dolphins have been cleaned or rehabilitated in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama since the oil spill began. It's one of the scientific mysteries of the spill.

Sea turtles are needing rehabilitation in much greater numbers.

“Mississippi had no oil for a long period of time, and these animals were coming in and coming closer to the coast line,” said Executive Director of the Institute of Marine Mammal Research Moby Solangi.

Solangi's Gulfport facility has cleaned hundreds of turtles and is rehabbing even more that were indirectly impacted by the spill.

“These big guys came from the Chandeleur Islands. That's where they're dredging. There are net boats in front of the hopper dredges and they're creating the sand berms,” he said about two turtles weighing hundreds of pounds.

The Audubon Research Institute in Louisiana has cared for 143 turtles so far.

But what you don't see much of, in either place, are dolphins.

“We expected to have debilitated animals showing up on the shoreline, or being seen out having trouble in the water. We haven't really seen that,” said Audubon’s Lead Veterinarian, Dr. Robert MacLean.

So far, in Mississippi and Alabama, Solagi has only dealt with 16 dead dolphins, a number just slightly above normal.

“We had predicted earlier that there would be larger numbers, but we have not seen it,” he said.

Solangi also said animal autopsies, called necropsies, performed here haven't shown any deaths directly related to the oil. So far, only two dead dolphins have washed ashore in Louisiana.

“It's difficult to know whether they floated through it after they died, or if the oil affected them directly. We're still waiting on necropsy results,” MacLean said.

But they know the dolphins are out swimming in it. In fact, WWL-TV caught these on tape in Barataria Bay.

“Are the susceptible? Can crude oil harm them? Yes. I'm positive it can,” MacLean said.

But the experts also said the dolphins swimming in the crude don't appear to be in distress. However, they don't know two things: what the long-term impact will be for dolphins breathing the crude fumes and eating oil-exposed fish, and they don't know whether more are washing up undetected in Louisiana's marshes.

“Louisiana, it's difficult to know because we don't have a lot of shoreline. We have a lot of marsh. It's possible, not unlikely, that we're having more mortality than we can document,” MacLean said.

“We don't know how many people are looking for them either,” Solangi said.

So for now, it will remain a marine mystery.

 

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Comments: Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

cbwave said on July 26, 2010 at 1:26 PM

There seems to be misinformation presented here. According to NOAA the statistics for dolphin deaths and/or strandings is higher than previous years: "From April 30 to July 23, 69 stranded dolphins have been verified in the designated spill area. Of the 69 strandings, five were live strandings, three of which died shortly after stranding, one was released and one is in rehabilitation. Sixty-three dolphins were found stranded dead. Visible evidence of external oil was confirmed on four dolphins. We are unable at this time to determine whether the three dead stranded dolphins were externally oiled before or after death. Since April 30, the stranding rate for dolphins in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle has been higher than the historic numbers for the same time period in previous years. In part, this may be due to increased detection and reporting and the lingering effects of an earlier observed spike in strandings for the winter."

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mcbeth607 said on July 23, 2010 at 7:55 PM

Thank God these precious creatures appear to be spared from the oil nightmare. Perhaps it is because dolphins are so intelligent that they are not eating oilstained food. Perhaps they are feeding further offshore. I hope so. This BP nightmare is destroying the precious wetlands, sea creatures, birds, & human livelihoods. I'd walk before I'd ever purchase a BP product. Certainly hope & pray this offshore drilling is stopped. How DARE they not have an "emergency backup plan".

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cajunhopper said on July 22, 2010 at 5:36 PM

LOL, dumb scientists, Dolphins are smart, they SWIM AWAY FROM THE OIL!!!!!!!!!!! Just like any fisherman will tell you, to find fish, LOOK FOR CLEAN WATER!!!!!

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hapoo said on July 22, 2010 at 12:09 PM

just a thought,BUT MAYBE THEY CAN SWIM!

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psychohurricane said on July 22, 2010 at 1:35 AM

just last week we saw dead birds fish and crabs in slidell the dolphins probably did like the seagulls and left for cleaner waters

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