[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Survivor dolphin may hold clues in Gulf deaths

(The Mississippi Press)

Rare 'survivor' dolphin gives hope for finding cause of deaths since BP spill
Published: Sunday, November 27, 2011, 8:04 AM
By Kaija Wilkinson

Photo: Institute Director Moby Solangi watches a sickly dolphin make circles in its pool at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (The Mississippi Press/Kaija Wilkinson)

GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A sickly, stranded dolphin that was found in Alabama and transported to Gulfport to convalesce and be studied could provide clues to a spike in dolphin deaths that has occurred over the past year.
The 2-year-old male is the first to be found alive since the BP oil spill last spring, according to Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, where the dolphin is being held.
The spike coincided with the spill, but to date no definitive link has been made between the spill and the deaths, which in south Mississippi and Alabama are three to four times what they are in a normal year.
"From a scientific standpoint, this is a very significant event," Solangi said of the dolphin being found alive. He said two dead dolphins were found within a few miles of the survivor.
"So much is unknown or lost when you're testing necrotic tissue rather than tissue from a live animal," he said. "We're hoping this will bring us closer to solving the puzzle, give us some better answers."
Biologists have speculated that the millions of gallons of crude oil that spilled into the Gulf, and the subsequent applications of dispersants, may have affected the immune systems of marine animals such as dolphins and turtles.
In a typical year, about 30 dead dolphins are found along Mississippi and Alabama beaches, Solangi said. There have been more than 100 over the course of the past year, he said.
"Of course, people are more on the lookout for them (since the spill), but there is obviously something going on."
This past February and March, for example, saw a historic number of dead dolphin fetuses and babies, he said.
People found the survivor dolphin in a marshy area of Fort Morgan on Wednesday. They tried to gently push him back into the water, but it kept beaching itself, Solangi said. That is when the institute was contacted and transportation arrangements were made.
"He's been here three days, and he's still somewhat nervous and disoriented," Solangi said.
The animal arrived dehydrated with cuts, bruises and parasites. It is being treated with antibiotics and liquids, and fed through a tube, he said.
On Saturday afternoon, it made slow circles in a 50-foot, above-ground pool located in a sterile, enclosed tent at the institute. It came up a few times each minute for air.
Blood and tissue samples have been taken, and they are scheduled to be sent Monday to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facilities around the country for testing.
As for the dolphin, Solangi gives it a 50-50 chance of survival.
He said Saturday that its swimming had become a little steadier.
"He's in guarded condition," Solangi said. "We've got him on 24-7 watch."
Visitors to the dolphin's tent are required to wash their shoes and wear facemasks. Should the dolphin survive, chances are the institute will try to integrate it back into the wild, Solangi said.