Dear MARMAM subscribers,
NOAA Fisheries Service would like to provide an
update on
cetacean science and conservation activities being implemented by
NOAA and partners in the Gulf of Mexico that are related to the
Deepwater
Horizon (DWH) BP oil spill event.
These activities include: (1) ensuring effective stranding
response and
data collection by enhancing capabilities with multiple partners along
the
northern Gulf coast; (2) conducting synoptic aerial assessments surveys
for marine
mammals and sea turtles; (3) conducting
vessel based assessments of bottlenose dolphins in coastal estuaries in
the
impacted area; (4) conducting visual health assessment and monitoring
of
dolphins in high risk areas; (5) collecting
data to determine impacts on the Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed
sperm
whale and other protected marine mammals in the Gulf and (6) ensuring
information is available in a timely manner.
Ensuring effective
stranding response
NOAA Fisheries Service and USFWS are integral
parts of the
Wildlife Branch of the Unified Command in both Houma, LA, and Mobile,
AL, which
actively coordinate response to any dead, stranded, or live cetacean or
manatee
in distress. Our partners include all
local state agencies and authorized organizations from the Southeast
U.S.
Marine Mammal Stranding Network. National
Stranding Network members and organizations and other non-governmental
organizations are also providing expertise and personnel to further
enhance
capabilities throughout the northern Gulf.
Established protocols and procedures for treating marine
wildlife
impacted by oil have been developed by NOAA and its partners and have
been adapted
to address the particular needs of this event.
Because of the various research and clean up
efforts, there
are also many individuals making observations along the entire northern
Gulf
coast. A wildlife hotline for reporting
oiled, injured, distressed, or dead marine mammals, sea turtles, or
birds (866-557-140),
has been established and is working well; all reports are documented,
and/or
investigated by the appropriate wildlife response personnel. The current spill response area is from the
Louisiana/Texas border to the Apalachicola area of Florida. The spill response area is evaluated based on
the trajectories of the oil, the biology of the species, and the longer
term
outlooks. Three primary
de-oiling/rehabilitation facilities have been established (LA, MS, and
FL).
Between April 30, 2010 and July 20, 2010, there
have been 67
total verified marine mammal stranding events; 61 were dead stranded
dolphins,
5 were live stranded dolphins and one dead floating sperm whale
offshore. No manatee strandings have been
reported
within the spill response area. For
details on marine mammal stranding data visit:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/oilspill.htm. This website is an excellent resource and
includes maps of stranding locations, species, oil versus not oiled,
numbers of
animals necropsied, and other informaton regarding marine mammals, sea
turtles
and the DWH BP oil spill event.
Prior to the oil spill, this year (2010) has
already had unusually
high stranding rates for bottlenose dolphins in the northern Gulf of
Mexico. In the months of March and
April, bottlenose dolphin strandings were at or above average stranding
rates
in the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. NOAA was in the process of initiating
consultation with the Working Group for Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality
Events
at the time of the DWH BP oil spill, to determine whether a UME should
be
declared. That consultation was not
completed as it was overcome by the actual spill itself.
Synoptic aerial surveys
for assessing marine mammals and sea turtles in the region of the DWH
oil spill
incident
As part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment
pre-assessment
efforts, on 28 April, NOAA initiated aerial surveys to assess the
marine mammal
and sea turtle species occurring within areas likely to be affected by
oil from
the DWH BP oil spill, including coastal and continental shelf waters
between
central Louisiana and Pensacola Bay, Florida. These
surveys continue as oil has impacted
nearly this entire region to various degrees. The
goal of the surveys is to monitor the
near-term changes in marine mammal and sea turtle spatial distribution
and
abundance in response to the oil.
Vessel based
assessments of bottlenose dolphins in coastal estuaries.
Soon after the DWH BP oil spill, NOAA also
initiated vessel
based assessments of bottlenose dolphins in several coastal areas where
oil
impacts were anticipated. The ongoing
assessments include sampling of dolphin tissues to assess contaminant
concentrations and examine stock structure and photo-identification
surveys for
mark-recapture analysis to document changes in abundance and examine
survival
and fecundity. The researchers also
monitor for signs of distress or abnormal behavior. Four
areas have been targeted for this
research- Chandeleur Sound, LA, Barataria Bay, LA, Mississippi Sound,
MS and AL.
A fourth site along the Florida
panhandle (St. Joseph Bay) was added in collaboration with Chicago
Zoological
Society. These areas were chosen based
on forecasted oil trajectories, and/or because of existing historical,
long-term information on the bottlenose dolphin stocks from previous
studies.
Visual health
assessment and monitoring of coastal dolphins
Teams are conducting marine mammal behavioral and
visual
health assessment response surveys in high-risk areas to monitor
dolphins for
potential signs of distress and provide rapid notification to the
wildlife
hotline should such distressed animals are detected. Although
severely limited in our ability to
move dolphins out of their natural habitats in response to the oil
spill, NOAA
and partners are doing everything we can to help animals if they are in
distress and learn as much as possible about how dolphins respond to
and might
be affected by an oil spill. Thus far,
there have not been any confirmed bottlenose dolphins in distress or
showing
compromised health.
Large-vessel surveys
to determine impacts on endangered and other protected Marine Mammals
in the Gulf
This NOAA ship-based study focuses on sperm whales
and other
marine mammals in the deep-water habitats of the north-central Gulf of
Mexico
impacted by the oil spill. Objectives
include: (1) documenting incidence of whale and dolphin exposure to
oil; (2)
documenting sperm whale and Bryde’s whale distribution and residence
patterns
related to oil and other factors; (3) developing information on
population
dynamics and stock structure of sperm whales and Bryde’s whales; and
(4)
collecting habitat information and characterizing water column
productivity and
prey resources. Methods include
photo-documentation, visual and long-term passive acoustic monitoring
(utilizing HARP and MARU), satellite tagging, and tissue biopsies. The
satellite tagging is being conducted in partnership with Oregon State
University. The passive acoustic
monitoring efforts are being conducted in partnership with the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography and Cornell University.
Ensuring information
is available online
The following websites include valuable
information to keep
interested parties informed about NOAA efforts and all other aspects of
the oil
spill:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/oilspill.htm
This website focuses on protected species, specifically
marine mammals and sea turtles. Users
can find excel data sheets, maps, and other current information about
marine
mammals and the oil spill as well as NOAA activities.
We strongly recommend bookmarking this page
and referring to it frequently for marine mammal updates.
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/#
This is the official site of the Unified Command Center for
the DWH BP oil spill.
http://www.restorethegulf.gov/
This is the official federal portal for the Deepwater Horizon BP oil
spill response and recovery. This site provides the public with
information on
the response, current operations, news and updates, how to file a claim
and
obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state and local
partners.
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm
This
website, updated daily, contains information about Federal fisheries
closures
in the Gulf of Mexico and fact sheets about fish stocks, protected
resources,
and habitat in the Gulf.
This
site provides imagery acquired by the NOAA Remote Sensing Division of
the Gulf
Coast following the Deepwater Horizon Incident.
This website provides information
about natural resource damage assessments conducted by NOAA.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon/images.html
This
website provides NOAA images and video related to the oil spill.
The Incident News website provides publicly available
information related to oil and hazardous material spills, both current
and
historical. It is developed and maintained by NOAA.
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dhos/index.php
Maps and graphics shown here help scientists, managers, and
decision makers, understand more where the water is going, its
properties and
how they change over time.
http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/
Geoplatform
integrates the latest data the federal responders have about the oil
spill's trajectory with fishery area closures, wildlife data and
place-based Gulf Coast resources--such as pinpointed locations of oiled
shoreline and current positions of deployed research ships--into one
customizable interactive map.
http://www.noaa.gov/sciencemissions/bpoilspill.html
Source for NOAA data related to the oil spill.
We hope this information is helpful to everyone
and greatly appreciate all the incredible help and contributions from
the
marine mammal community.
If you have
questions, please feel free to contact me.
Laura K. Engleby
Marine Mammal Branch Chief
Protected Resources Division
NOAA Fisheries Service
Southeast Region
263 13th Ave South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-824-5312