Hi all,

On behalf of my co-authors I would like to draw your attention to our pre-publication available here: https://www.eaglehill.us/SENAonline/sena-v17-n3-2018.shtml

Ronje E.I., H.Whitehead, and K.D. Mullin. 2018.  The 1990 Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Mass Die-Off in East Matagorda Bay, Texas: New Insight into a Cold Case.  Southeastern Naturalist, 17(3):411-422.

Abstract - On 20 January 1990, twenty-three Tursiops truncatus (Common Bottlenose
Dolphin) carcasses were found scattered around the interior shoreline of East Matagorda
Bay, TX. Few accounts exist to document the presence of live or dead Common Bottlenose
Dolphins inside the boundaries of East Matagorda Bay before or after the die-off. We conducted
a review of areal data for East Matagorda Bay and the original investigation of the
January 1990 mass die-off. Information we examined included the history of natural and
anthropogenic changes to the area, dolphin stranding records, small-boat visual surveys,
and dolphin dorsal-fin photographic identification. Natural events preceding the discovery
of the dolphin carcasses were likely factors in the mortalities; however, the timing of engineering
projects that modified access points between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico may
be an additional factor that contributed to the cause of this unusual mortality event.

For publication inquiries please contact: errol.ronje@gmail.com