Re: [forensic-science] BLOOD FLOW AFTER THE HEART STOPS BEATING

 

Probably...depending on how you define "flow."

Daniel Rocco-RuskNewDeath/O/ Investigative Newsgroup 

--- On Fri, 4/1/11, RICHARD <richard_d17@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: RICHARD <richard_d17@yahoo.com>
Subject: [forensic-science] BLOOD FLOW AFTER THE HEART STOPS BEATING
To: forensic-science@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 2:35 AM

 

IF A VICTIM IS SHOT AND AN EXIT WOUND PRODUCES BLOOD FLOW WILL THE BLOOD FLOW STOP WHEN THE HEART STOPS?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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[forensic-science] BLOOD FLOW AFTER THE HEART STOPS BEATING

 

IF A VICTIM IS SHOT AND AN EXIT WOUND PRODUCES BLOOD FLOW WILL THE BLOOD FLOW STOP WHEN THE HEART STOPS?

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Some Populations of Fraser River Salmon More Likely to Survive

 

Vancouver, BC — Populations of Fraser River sockeye salmon are so fine-tuned to their environment that any further environmental changes caused by climate change could lead to the disappearance of some populations, while others may be less affected, says a new study by University of British Columbia scientists.

The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, flowing more than 2,000 kilometres through the province. It is known for its large salmon runs, where typically several million sockeye salmon return to the river to spawn each year. There are more than 100 distinct populations of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River watershed and to spawn, each population completes a unique migration route that varies in distance, elevation gain, river temperature and river flow.

For their study, published March 31 as the cover article in the journal Science, UBC researchers studied eight populations of adult Fraser River sockeye and found that populations with the most difficult migrations were more athletic, displaying superior swimming ability and specialized heart adaptations. They also found that the optimal water temperature for a population, or temperature where the fish performed the best, matched the historical river temperatures encountered by each population on its migration routes.

"This is the first large-scale study on wild fish to show how different populations of the same species have adapted to such specific migration conditions," says Erika Eliason, a PhD candidate in the Department of Zoology at UBC and lead author of the study. "As climate change alters the conditions of the Fraser River watershed, our concern is that some populations may not be able to adapt to these changes quickly enough to survive."

Eliason, who worked on this study with co-authors Tony Farrell, a professor in the Department of Zoology at UBC, and Scott Hinch, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC, says this research is important to conservation efforts for Fraser River sockeye and may inform efforts to conserve biodiversity of fish in other watersheds worldwide.

Sockeye salmon have been in decline since the early 1990s. Contributing to this has been massive migration mortalities where between 40 and 95 per cent of some salmon populations have died en route to spawning.

The Fraser River has warmed by nearly 2ºC since the 1950s, with the last 20 years being some of the warmest on record. High river temperatures have been associated with the high mortality.

The researchers suggest some sockeye salmon populations are more susceptible to warming river temperatures than others. Chilko sockeye salmon, which get their name from the lake and river near where they spawn, may be more resilient to warming temperatures, while other populations, like Weaver sockeye salmon, which get their name from the creek where they spawn, appear especially susceptible.

"I like to call the Chilko population of sockeye 'Superfish,'" says Eliason. "Chilko were able to swim at higher and a broader range of temperatures compared to the other populations we examined. We believe it has to do with how they've adapted to cope with their difficult migration."

The Chilko population must travel more than 650 kilometres upstream, gain one kilometre of elevation, go through Hell's Gate, an area where the Fraser River plunges into a passage only 35 metres wide, and travel during the highest summer temperatures to get to a glacial lake, where they spawn.

To measure the swimming ability of the salmon populations, Eliason and her colleagues monitored the metabolic and heart rates of adult salmon from each of the eight populations as they ran them through a "fish treadmill" -- a tunnel capable of producing varying water speeds and temperatures.

The researchers found that the optimal water temperature for the fish matched the historical river temperatures encountered by each population on their migration routes. The optimal temperature for each population was determined by measuring each fish's swimming performance, metabolic and heart rates.

In water temperatures above their optimal temperature, the salmon's swimming ability declined. "We propose that this is due to a collapse of the cardiovascular system," says Eliason.

"Currently, the Fraser River's peak river temperatures during the summer months exceeds the optimal temperatures for every population we examined and temperatures are near lethal for some populations."

"As we move forward, we need to examine how populations may adapt to changing environments and identify which are the least resilient to continued climate warming as these populations may require the most protection," says Eliason.

For this study, Eliason and her UBC colleagues collaborated with scientists from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This research was funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Pacific Salmon Forum.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Re: NOAA publishes dolphin death info

 

New Orleans, LA — The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 devastated the Gulf of Mexico ecologically and economically. However, a new study published in Conservation Letters reveals that the true impact of the disaster on wildlife may be gravely underestimated. The study argues that fatality figures based on the number of recovered animal carcasses will not give a true death toll, which may be 50 times higher than believed.

"The Deepwater oil spill was the largest in US history, however, the recorded impact on wildlife was relatively low, leading to suggestions that the environmental damage of the disaster was actually modest," said lead author Dr Rob Williams from the University of British Columbia."This is because reports have implied that the number of carcasses recovered, 101, equals the number of animals killed by the spill."

The team focused their research on 14 species of cetacean, an order of mammals including whales and dolphins. While the number of recovered carcasses has been assumed to equal the number of deaths, the team argues that marine conditions and the fact that many deaths will have occurred far from shore mean recovered carcasses will only account for a small proportion of deaths.

To illustrate their point, the team multiplied recent species abundance estimates by the species mortality rate. An annual carcass recovery rate was then estimated by dividing the mean number of observed strandings each year by the estimate of annual mortality.

The team's analysis suggests that only 2% of cetacean carcasses were ever historically recovered after their deaths in this region, meaning that the true death toll from the Deepwater Horizon disaster could be 50 times higher than the number of deaths currently estimated.

"This figure illustrates that carcass counts are hugely mis-leading, if used to measure the disaster's death toll," said co-author Scott Kraus of the New England Aquarium "No study on carcass recovery from strandings has ever recovered anything close to 100% of the deaths occurring in any cetacean population. The highest rate we found was only 6.2%, which implied 16 deaths for every carcass recovered."

The reason for the gulf between the estimates may simply be due to the challenges of working in the marine environment. The Deepwater disaster took place 40 miles offshore, in 1500m of water, which is partly why estimates of oil flow rates during the spill were so difficult to make.

"The same factors that made it difficult to work on the spill also confound attempts to evaluate environmental damages caused by the spill," said Williams. "Consequently, we need to embrace a similar level of humility when quantifying the death tolls."

If the approach outlined by this study were to be adopted the team believe this may present an opportunity to use the disaster to develop new conservation tools that can be applied more broadly, revealing the environmental impacts of other human activities in the marine environment.

"The finding that strandings represent a very low proportion of the true deaths is also critical in considering the magnitude of other human causes of mortality like ship strikes, where the real impacts may similarly be dramatically underestimated by the numbers observed" said John Calambokidis, a Researcher with Cascadia Research and a co-author on the publication.

"Our concern also applies to certain interactions with fishing gear, because there are not always systematic data with which to accurately estimate by-catch, especially for large whales," noted Jooke Robbins, a co-author from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. "When only opportunistic observations are available, these likely reflect a fraction of the problem."

"While we did not conduct a study to estimate the actual number of deaths from the oil spill, our research reveals that the accepted figures are a grave underestimation," concluded Dr. Williams. "We now urge methodological development to develop appropriate multipliers so that we discover the true cost of this tragedy."

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@...> wrote:
>
> (SunHerald.com)
>
> Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011
> Posted on Wed, Mar. 30, 2011
> Dolphin death information listed on NOAA website
> By KAREN NELSON
> GULFPORT — NOAA Fisheries has responded to the cry for information in this year's string of dolphin deaths in the northern Gulf that includes 59 stillborn or infant calves.
> A page on its website now details the plight of dolphins and whales in the Gulf since February 2010 with graphs and charts comparing the deaths to previous years. The numbers update weekly.
> This is happening as NOAA begins taking possession of the samples collected from the baby dolphins by local groups. NOAA will handle the testing and release of any results in the unusual deaths, which has also triggered concern among scientists and attorneys that there is a lack of transparency in the handling of the samples.
> There is also concern that the results of necropsies and other tissue tests won't be released to the public.
> In a letter last month, NOAA Fisheries warned the locals who are authorized to collect dolphin samples that they are not to send tissue for independent testing or discuss findings without NOAA permission. The letter cited the "active criminal investigation associated with the oil spill." Kim Amendola, with NOAA Fisheries, said the web page is about two weeks old.
> "The Frequently Asked Questions just went up today. The table at the top went up today," she said. The bar graphs and tables will update weekly, she said, but the historical data won't change.
> A spokesman with the National Wildlife Federation announced the web link in an e-mail Tuesday.
> "We've been tracking dolphin deaths in the Gulf this year and have been frustrated at the lack of information released to this point," said Miles Grant with the NWF. "However, today we found what looks like a new NOAA website with extensive data on dolphin deaths.
> "I'm not clear when this page went live or how often it's been updated. There's nothing about it in the NOAA newsroom," Grant said. "In any case, we're glad to see it."
> Grant said the federation's senior scientist, Dr. Doug Inkley, was digging into the information.
> "If NOAA is going to be releasing this data themselves, that's positive," Grant said. "We were so frustrated that we weren't getting answers, we were wondering if we'd need to file a Freedom of Information request."
> The web page charts the numbers of stranded bottlenose dolphins of all sizes and compares those numbers by month to the numbers in 2010 and also to an average of deaths in each month from 2002 to 2009.
> The difference is striking. The spikes are easy to see.
> Then it breaks out the premature or infant dolphins this year and charts the dramatic difference when compared to averages of years past. On Tuesday evening, the locator map pinpointing dolphin strandings in the northern Gulf was current through Sunday. Amendola, however, said the media would have to call for daily updated numbers.
> As of Tuesday, the total bottlenose dolphins dead this year in the northern Gulf according to NOAA is 136, 59 of them premature or infant calves. Of those, 73 were on Mississippi and Alabama coasts, 48 of them stillborn or premature.
> There are several still undetermined.
>

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Killer Whales in Antarctic Waters Prefer Weddell Seals

 

LaJolla, CA — NOAA's Fisheries Service scientists studying the cooperative hunting behavior of killer whales in Antarctic waters observed the animals favoring one type of seal over all other available food sources, according to a study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

Researchers Robert Pitman and John Durban from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif., observed killer whales hunting in ice floes, off the western Antarctic Peninsula during January of 2009. While documenting the whales' behavior of deliberately creating waves to wash seals off ice floes, the researchers noticed Weddell seals as their primary target, despite the availability of other prey species, particularly the more abundant crabeater seals.

"These killer whales would identify and then attack Weddell seals almost exclusively, even though they made up only about 15 percent of the available seal population," said Pitman.

Killer whales creating waves to wash seals off ice floes in Antarctica had previously been observed only a handful of times. The whales, sometimes as many as seven abreast, charge the ice floe creating a wave that either washes the seal off the ice or breaks the ice into smaller pieces and more vulnerable to another attack. A previous study involving the authors suggested that this very distinctive killer whale population, which they refer to as "pack ice killer whales," is a separate species.

Once the seal was washed off the ice, the killer whales worked as a group to keep it away from hauling onto the safety of another ice floe. The whales seemed to try and confuse the seal by causing turbulence in the water with their flukes and blowing bubbles under the water through their blowholes.

Away from the ice, the whales attempt to tire and eventually drown the animal by pulling it under water by its hind flippers. Eventually the seal succumbs to exhaustion and is usually divided up among the pod members underwater. In most cases, little of the seal's remains float to the surface, but in one instance the carcass rose to the surface and appeared to have been methodically skinned and dismembered before being eaten.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Re: Tilikum, deadly killer whale, returning to show

 

Orlando, FL – The killer whale that drowned a female trainer at Orlando's SeaWorld flawlessly performed Wednesday for the first time since last year's death, wowing thousands amid heightened safety that included a steel bar protecting the orca's trainers.

Tilikum participated without incident in the marine park's signature "Believe" show for the first time since dragging 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau from poolside by her pony tail and drowning her during a performance Feb. 24, 2010. Trainers on the platform stood Wednesday behind the stout metal bar shaped as an inverted "U" that was designed to prevent a whale from coming up out of the pool and biting and dragging a trainer into the water.

SeaWorld Animal Training Curator Kelly Flaherty Clark said in a statement that returning Tilikum to performing more than a year later was best for the whale.

"Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum's day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment," Clark said. "He has been regularly interacting with his trainers and the other whales for purposes of training, exercise and social and mental stimulation, and has enjoyed access to all of the pools in the Shamu Stadium complex."

There was no special reference made in Wednesday morning's show to Tilikum's return. Nonetheless, Tilikum was the main draw for many. Orcas jumped in unison and splashed those in the front rows, delighting a crowd that filled the 5,000-seat Shamu Stadium to capacity. The show lasted just short of a half-hour.

No trainer has been allowed in the water during the shows since Brancheau's death and they remained out of the pool Wednesday. The closest the trainers got was the pool deck, standing behind the steel bar whenever they reached over to occasionally stroke the whales when they flopped on the platform or to toss them a fish treat.

In the accident that killed Brancheau, she was nose-to-nose with the whale when her pony tail floated into the animal's mouth and she was dragged in, authorities have said. They added that she managed to free herself initially, but the whale continued to strike and thrash her. The tragedy unfolded shortly after a "Dine with Shamu" show when some guests were still in the area.

Tilikum also was one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell in the pool at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia. Tilikum also was involved in a 1999 death, when the body of a man who had sneaked by SeaWorld Orlando security was found draped over him, authorities said.

The park is still working on plans to get trainers back in the water with the whales. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration last summer accused SeaWorld of recklessly putting trainers in danger. The company is fighting OSHA's citations and a $75,000 fine. SeaWorld contends its parks have a good safety record during more than four decades of shows involving killer whales.

Since the death, SeaWorld officials have drawn up plans to spend millions of dollars on safety upgrades. Measures include installing rising pool floors that can quickly lift people and the whales from the water, underwater vehicles to distract the marine animals in emergencies and portable oxygen bottles for trainers.

Orlando resident Wendy Santiago said her family has been attending SeaWorld shows for years and she and her husband, Marcos, made a point of being present for Tilikum's return Wednesday. She said the tragedy left her sad though she was pleased to see Tilikum performing again.

"You never can tell with any of these animals — they are wild animals," Wendy Santiago said of the trainer's death. But she added, tears welling in her eyes at the show's conclusion, "I'm happy today that I was able to see him perform."

Marcos Santiago said he also experienced a mix of feelings while watching the show with their 3-year-old son and 4-month-old daughter.

"I've loved SeaWorld, ever since I was a little kid and used to come here many times," he said. "I fell in love with Shamu and so did my son. So to me it was very emotional to be here on this day."

But the day was not without protests nearby.

Many of those who went to see Tilikum perform drove past about a dozen protesters gathered outside SeaWorld's gates. The demonstrators complained that killer whales should not be held in captivity and several held up signs reading, "Free Tilly."

Despite the lack of any special reference to Tilikum's return Wednesday, veteran SeaWorld attendee David Wythe said the whale's return was clearly the main draw for many.

"That's exactly why we were here," said Wythe, a Kissimmee resident. "Me personally, I believe Tilikum should have been back in the shows a long time ago."

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@...> wrote:
>
> Whale That Killed Trainer Returns to SeaWorld Show
> Published March 30, 2011 | Associated Press
>
> ORLANDO, Fla. -- The killer whale that drowned a trainer at Orlando's SeaWorld facility last year is slated to perform for the first time since the incident.
> SeaWorld officials say Tilikum will participate in the park's "Believe" show beginning Wednesday morning.
> Tilikum drowned 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau on Feb. 24, 2010, and has not participated in a show since then, while park officials are spending millions making safety upgrades.
> Plans to get trainers back in the water with the whales progressed earlier this month despite findings last summer by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that accused SeaWorld of recklessly putting trainers in danger.
> SeaWorld Animal Training Curator Kelly Flaherty Clark says they feel it's an important part of Tilikum's physical, social and mental enrichment to be back in the water.
>
> Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/30/whale-killed-trainer-returns-seaworld/#ixzz1I5FEJbMM
>

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Sanibel biologists working to protect snowy plover

 

Sanibel biologists working to protect snowy plover

Mar 30, 2011 6:12 PM EDT

SANIBEL, FL -

They're a common sight to see on Sanibel Island, but experts say the snowy plovers could become harder to track if their nesting season doesn't go well.

The snowy plover is considered by many to be an adorable bird. But there are not many of them left.

"There are only about 440 individual birds in the state of Florida," said biologist Joe Caouette,

And about 20 percent of those birds live here in Southwest Florida. That is why the threatened species gets extra protection on Sanibel Island during their nesting season.

"Why would you take a chance of losing them when it's such a minor thing to help them survive?" asked tourist Cathy Forslund.

From February to August, the birds will nest. Then the hatchlings fledge - or attempt to fly away.

They are both crucial times in the birds' lives - especially when their numbers are so low.

Last year, 23 baby birds hatched on the island and biologists say only seven were strong enough to fledge.

During those fragile times, biologists with the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation rope off the nests to protect the tiny birds.

"We try not to encroach too much on the beach and impede on the beach traffic," said Caouette.

Beachgoers we spoke with say the 20 by 20 meter enclosure doesn't put a damper on their day in the sand.

"The compromises should cut a little in favor of the wildlife," said tourist Bob Williams.

Along with compromising a stretch of beach, biologists ask you to stay out of the enclosure and to keep dogs away from the little birds as well.

You're also asked not to chase the birds on the beach because they may be looking for a place to raise their new families.

By Katie Johnson

NBC News

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] While Bronx Zoo cobra captivates a nation, sea beasts quietly attack

 

New York, NY - While the nation has been captivated by the escaped Bronx Zoo cobra and perhaps the first Twitter feed written by an adolescent snake, other wild beasts are out there wreaking real havoc on humans.

The cobra's only concern with people seems to be keeping its distance. As far as we know, it has yet to even strike one of New York City's millions of giant rats. But at sea, the animal and man interactions are mounting. For starters, there's the 375-pound mako shark that recently plopped itself right into a Texas man's boat while he and a few others were fishing for red snapper. According to the Associated Press, Jason Kresse was dumping a load of fish guts into the water in the wee hours of the morn (has the man not seen "Jaws?") when he heard serious splashing coming closer.

"All of a sudden something hit the side of the boat," Kresse told the AP. "He ends up landing on the back of the boat."

Kresse said he plans to mount the shark, which had to be removed from his boat by a forklift.

Then there was the wild encounter Jenny Hausch had when she, her husband and three children chartered a boat through Two Chicks Charters to explore the Florida Keys.

"These eagle rays, they were flying through the air," Kelly Klein of Two Chicks Charters told CNN. "These giant things go out of the water and slam back down."

Hausch had pulled out her camera to take some pictures of the flying spotted eagle rays when suddenly one rocketed out of the water in her direction. "It hit me square in the chest. I fell backwards and fell down," Hausch told CNN.

The 8 foot long, roughly 300-pound ray then started thrashing around on top of her. After a minor grappling match, Hausch managed to fight her way out from underneath. "I was freaked out," her young daughter Delaney said about watching her mother tangle with the sea creature. Luckily Hausch wasn't hurt--a similar incident resulted in a woman's death in 2008--and now has a story, some might say, to surpass that of one missing cobra.

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[forensic-science] Blood pattern analysis

 


Hello, I'm a high school student and I'm working in this project about blood pattern analysis and I would like to ask you some questions about this field.

What are the educational requirements to become a blood patter analyst?

Do you need any special license to work?

Are you still studying in order to maintaining yourself update with the field and technology?

There are some TV series as DEXTER or CSI which show us how the life of an blood pattern analysis can be at work, are this conceptions relevant to your daily work?

How is a daily day of work?

What is approximately your salary?

In DEXTER we see different types of experiments that he does in order to know how a person was killed in CSI we can see this two, are this experiments real or you use a different method?



Thank you so much.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] NOAA publishes dolphin death info

 

(SunHerald.com)

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011
Posted on Wed, Mar. 30, 2011
Dolphin death information listed on NOAA website
By KAREN NELSON
GULFPORT — NOAA Fisheries has responded to the cry for information in this year's string of dolphin deaths in the northern Gulf that includes 59 stillborn or infant calves.
A page on its website now details the plight of dolphins and whales in the Gulf since February 2010 with graphs and charts comparing the deaths to previous years. The numbers update weekly.
This is happening as NOAA begins taking possession of the samples collected from the baby dolphins by local groups. NOAA will handle the testing and release of any results in the unusual deaths, which has also triggered concern among scientists and attorneys that there is a lack of transparency in the handling of the samples.
There is also concern that the results of necropsies and other tissue tests won't be released to the public.
In a letter last month, NOAA Fisheries warned the locals who are authorized to collect dolphin samples that they are not to send tissue for independent testing or discuss findings without NOAA permission. The letter cited the "active criminal investigation associated with the oil spill." Kim Amendola, with NOAA Fisheries, said the web page is about two weeks old.
"The Frequently Asked Questions just went up today. The table at the top went up today," she said. The bar graphs and tables will update weekly, she said, but the historical data won't change.
A spokesman with the National Wildlife Federation announced the web link in an e-mail Tuesday.
"We've been tracking dolphin deaths in the Gulf this year and have been frustrated at the lack of information released to this point," said Miles Grant with the NWF. "However, today we found what looks like a new NOAA website with extensive data on dolphin deaths.
"I'm not clear when this page went live or how often it's been updated. There's nothing about it in the NOAA newsroom," Grant said. "In any case, we're glad to see it."
Grant said the federation's senior scientist, Dr. Doug Inkley, was digging into the information.
"If NOAA is going to be releasing this data themselves, that's positive," Grant said. "We were so frustrated that we weren't getting answers, we were wondering if we'd need to file a Freedom of Information request."
The web page charts the numbers of stranded bottlenose dolphins of all sizes and compares those numbers by month to the numbers in 2010 and also to an average of deaths in each month from 2002 to 2009.
The difference is striking. The spikes are easy to see.
Then it breaks out the premature or infant dolphins this year and charts the dramatic difference when compared to averages of years past. On Tuesday evening, the locator map pinpointing dolphin strandings in the northern Gulf was current through Sunday. Amendola, however, said the media would have to call for daily updated numbers.
As of Tuesday, the total bottlenose dolphins dead this year in the northern Gulf according to NOAA is 136, 59 of them premature or infant calves. Of those, 73 were on Mississippi and Alabama coasts, 48 of them stillborn or premature.
There are several still undetermined.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Dolphin death toll for BP oil spill higher, study says

 

(Agence France Presse)

Dolphin toll from BP oil spill far higher: study
By Kerry Sheridan (AFP) – 14 hours ago
WASHINGTON — The discovery of more than 100 dead dolphins on Gulf of Mexico shores likely reflects only a small fraction of the total killed by the BP oil spill last year, a study suggested on Wednesday.
The actual toll among cetaceans, a group of mammals that includes whales, narwhals and dolphins, may be as much as 50 times higher, said the Canadian and American research team in the journal Conservation Letters.
"The Deepwater oil spill was the largest in US history, however, the recorded impact on wildlife was relatively low, leading to suggestions that the environmental damage of the disaster was actually modest," said lead author Rob Williams from the University of British Columbia.
"This is because reports have implied that the number of carcasses recovered, 101 (as of November 2010), equals the number of animals killed by the spill."
Looking back at annual death rates over the past decade, researchers estimate that 4,474 cetaceans died each year from 2003 to 2007, but an average of just 17 carcasses washed up annually on the northern Gulf of Mexico shores.
That indicates an overall carcass recovery rate of 0.4 percent of total estimated mortality among cetaceans in the area. When broken down by species, researchers determined there was a two percent mean recovery rate.
"If, for example, 101 cetacean carcasses were recovered overall, and the deaths were attributed to oiling, the average recovery rate (two percent) would translate to 5,050 carcasses, given the 101 carcasses detected," said the study.
Previous studies have suggested that dead sea animals that turned up following the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989 also represented a small portion of the overall toll.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday updated its figures from what it terms a "cetacean unusual mortality event" to 390 "strandings" -- 96 percent of them were "stranded" dead and four percent alive.
The deaths were tracked in the northern Gulf of Mexico from February 1, 2010 to March 27, 2011.
Scientists in Mississippi and Alabama raised new concerns last month after they found 17 baby dolphins washed up dead on the shores in the span of two weeks, more than 10 times the normal rate, in the first birthing season since the BP disaster.
Florida officials have also noted above average numbers of manatee deaths for two years straight, possibly due to cold water temperatures off the waters of the southern state, though the effects of the BP spill could be a contributing factor.
The burly swimmers, sometimes known as sea cows, are not considered in the same group as cetaceans.
The disaster was set off when the Deepwater Horizon, a rig which BP leased to drill at the Macondo well, exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing more than 205 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

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