A multi-year unusual mortality event (UME) involving primarily common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) was declared in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) with an initial start date of February 2010 and remains ongoing as of August 2014. To examine potential changing characteristics of the UME over time, we compared the number and demographics of dolphin strandings from January 2010 through June 2013 across the entire GoM as well as against baseline (1990-2009) GoM stranding patterns. Years 2010 and 2011 had the highest annual number of stranded dolphins since Louisiana’s record began, and 2011 was one of the years with the highest strandings for both Mississippi and Alabama. Statewide, annual numbers of stranded dolphins were not elevated for GoM coasts of Florida or Texas during the UME period. Demographic, spatial, and temporal clusters identified within this UME included increased strandings in northern coastal Louisiana and Mississippi (March-May 2010); Barataria Bay, Louisiana (August 2010-December 2011); Mississippi and Alabama (2011, including a high prevalence and number of stranded perinates); and multiple GoM states during early 2013. While the causes of the GoM UME have not been determined, the location and magnitude of dolphin strandings during and the year following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including the Barataria Bay cluster from August 2010 to December 2011, overlap in time and space with locations that received heavy and prolonged oiling. There are, however, multiple known causes of previous GoM dolphin UMEs, including brevetoxicosis and dolphin morbillivirus. Additionally, increased dolphin strandings occurred in northern Louisiana and Mississippi before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Identification of spatial, temporal, and demographic clusters within the UME suggest that this mortality event may involve different contributing factors varying by location, time, and bottlenose dolphin populations that will be better discerned by incorporating diagnostic information, including histopathology.

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The seasonal distribution of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is influenced predominantly by feeding locations in the summer and proximity to warm-water refuges during colder months. The tidal cycle may further influence distribution through its impact on manatee movement and foraging. Although the importance of tide on distribution and habitat selection has been acknowledged, it has yet to be studied quantitatively with respect to the manatee population in southeast Florida. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the tidal cycle on manatee occurrence at the Florida Power & Light (FPL) Port Everglades Power Plant during the winter. Walking surveys were conducted in Port Everglades during manatee season, 15 November through 31 March 2004 to 2009. The number of manatees in four established locations was noted, and the animals were categorized as calf, juvenile, or adult. Water temperature data were also collected at the sample locations. Because many surveys yielded zero manatees observed, data were analyzed using the zeroinflated negative binomial model. Although the results show no correlation between tidal state and total manatee occurrence, they do suggest that the probability of observing a cow/calf pair is greater during high tide when compared to low and midtides (p < 0.05). Total manatee occurrence and the presence of cow/calf pairs were both significantly correlated with water temperature (p < 0.05). These results are in contrast to those from other locations in Florida and are relevant to the optimal timing of manatee surveys to ensure that all animals using a warm-water refuge are observed and included in population estimates.

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