Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Project for bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the southeastern USA. II. Environmental aspects

Fine‐scale population structure and connectivity of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in European waters and implications for conservation

“…However, also based on photo-identification studies, some of these individuals are highly mobile, travelling distances of hundreds of kilometres around the UK and Ireland (Cheney et al, 2013;Ingram, Englund, & Rogan, 2001;Ingram & Rogan, 2003;O'Brien et al, 2009;Robinson et al, 2012). The main threats in coastal environments include pollutants such as xenobiotic chemicals (Jepson et al, 2016;Reif, Schaefer, Bossart, & Fair, 2017), reduced prey availability, habitat degradation, disturbance from vessel traffic Pirotta, Merchant, Thompson, Barton, & Lusseau, 2015;), entanglement and incidental bycatch, direct hunting, marine construction and anthropogenic noise (Hammond et al, 2012;Meissner et al, 2015;Pirotta et al, 2015). The sensitivity of bottlenose dolphins to these threats is exacerbated by their position as an apex predator and also by their low reproductive rates (Connor, Wells, Mann, & Read, 2000;Quick et al, 2014).…”

“…The sensitivity of bottlenose dolphins to these threats is exacerbated by their position as an apex predator and also by their low reproductive rates (Connor, Wells, Mann, & Read, 2000;Quick et al, 2014). The main threats in coastal environments include pollutants such as xenobiotic chemicals (Jepson et al, 2016;Reif, Schaefer, Bossart, & Fair, 2017), reduced prey availability, habitat degradation, disturbance from vessel traffic Pirotta, Merchant, Thompson, Barton, & Lusseau, 2015;), entanglement and incidental bycatch, direct hunting, marine construction and anthropogenic noise (Hammond et al, 2012;Meissner et al, 2015;Pirotta et al, 2015). The increased risks of demographic perturbation of dolphin populations owing to human activities highlights the need for the designation and management of protected areas, ensuring that dolphin habitat remains favourable and does not deteriorate.…”

Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Project for bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the southeastern USA. I. Infectious diseases

“…Alternatively, an acquired immunodeficiency may render dolphins susceptible to opportunistic P. brasiliensis infection as previously suspected (Bossart 1984). Specifically, an acquired immunodeficiency secondary to high concentrations of mercury is discussed elsewhere as a hypothesis for the pathogenesis of PC (Reif et al 2017). …”

“…The detailed environmental characteristics of the IRL and CHS study sites are provided elsewhere (Fair et al 2006a, Reif et al 2017. Briefly, the IRL is a shallow-water estuary that comprises 40% of Florida's central east coast (Bossart et al 2003).…”

Health Assessments of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Past, Present, and Potential Conservation Applications

“…For both the IRL and CHS field sites, health assessments were conducted to establish baseline data and to compare morbidity temporally and across two geographic sites (34,43). Higher concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including legacy [e.g., dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)] as well as "emerging" contaminants [polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) compounds] were detected in CHS dolphins as compared to IRL dolphins (43,44). Mercury concentrations in the blood and skin of IRL dolphins were extremely high, approximately five times higher than those in CHS dolphins.…”