The Stranding Program will be offering an "Assessment of Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Class", in January 2004. The class will cover how to assess whether a manatee, dolphin and/or sea turtle is behaving normally or is sick/injured. You must have taken the Animal Handler Class and have volunteered in the Dolphin Whale Hospital (DWH) for at least 3 months to be eligible for this stranding class. Please staye tuned for more information regarding the exact date and time of the class. This class will be offered again in June/July 2004 if you are unable to attend in January.

During May to October 12, 2003 stranding staff were busy responding to manatee verification, dolphin, and turtle stranding calls. During this period, we responded to 82 manatee, 28 dolphin, and 90 sea turtle related calls. We recovered 4 dead manatees and post-mortem examinations of these animals were conducted at FWC Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory in St. Petersburg. We recovered 11 dead cetaceans during this period. We also recovered 44 dead sea turtles (29 loggerheads, 13 Kemp's ridleys, 1 green turtle and 1 of unknown species) and 9 live sea turtles (7 loggerheads and 2 Kemp's ridleys) that were transported to Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital for treatment.

A summary of all stranded dolphins and whales during this period are listed below:

MML 0320 - This male bottlenose dolphin was found dead on May 6, 2003 in Terra Ceia Bay. An old, healed shark bite wound was found on its caudal peduncle, otherwise the carcass was unremarkable. Cause of death was not determined due to advanced decomposition.

MML 0321 - This female bottlenose dolphin was found dead on May 19, 2003 on Longboat Key. Cause of death was not determined due to advanced decomposition.

MML 0322 - This bottlenose dolphin was found dead on May 24, 2003 on Longboat Key. The animal was a neonate and only partial remains were present. Cause of death was not determined.

MML 0323 - This male bottlenose dolphin fetus was found dead on June 6, 2003 in Palma Sola Bay. Preliminary cause of death was determined as premature parturition/stillborn.

MML 0324 - This female bottlenose dolphin was found dead on June 11, 2003 in Palma Sola Bay. The animal was a known Sarasota Bay animal "FB 01". Necropsy findings included a foreign body perforation (possible stingray spine) of the intestine and uterus with peritonitis.

MML 0325 - This male bottlenose dolphin was found dead on June 12, 2003 on Captiva Island. He was a known dolphin from Charlotte Harbor, identified by Sarasota Dolphin Research Program staff. Necropsy findings included emaciation. Lab results are still pending.

MML 0326 - Current patient "Moonshine" at the DWH. Moonshine is a male pan-tropical spotted dolphin that was transferred from Marine Animal Rescue Society in the Florida Keys. See Case Synopsis on the DWH page for "Moonshine" for further details on his continued rehabilitation.

MML 0327 - This male melon-headed whale stranded live on July 31, 2003 in Pelican Bay near San Carlos Island in Lee County. FWC staff and Southwest Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Network volunteers responded to the stranding (see picture below). After consulting with NOAA Fisheries and Dr. Charlie Manire, the animal was euthanized by Dr. Deborah Fauquier, due to its emaciated body condition, injuries, and poor chance of successful rehabilitation. This stranding was very exciting to us, as this is the first reported stranding of this species for the entire Gulf coast of Florida! Mote and FWC personnel performed the necropsy on August 1, 2003. Necropsy findings included emaciation and old age.

MML 0327 Stranding, Melon-headed whale (Photo Credit: FWC)

MML 0328 - This melon-headed whale was found dead on August 3, 2003 on Sanibel Island. The animal consisted of skeletal remains with no organs present. Species identification was determined by head shape, presence of "white lips" (see photo above), tooth count, and skeletal features. The proximity of this animal to where MML 0327 live-stranded, and the rare occurrence of this species along our coast, suggests that these two animals may have been in the same group. Interestingly, a "pod" of some 50-100 small, black whales were seen the week prior at the mouth of Tampa Bay and reported to FWC. Though species confirmation was not possible (the animals swam away prior to biologists arriving on the scene), they may have been the same melon-headed whales.

MML 0329 - Current patient "Carter" at the DWH. Carter is a male bottlenose dolphin that was rescued by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute on August 9, 2003. See Case Synopsis on the DWH page for "Carter" for further details on his continued rehabilitation.

MML 0330 - This male juvenile bottlenose dolphin was found dead on August 25, 2003 near Palmetto. No external signs of injuries were evident. The carcass was frozen for later examination.

MML 0331 - This male bottlenose dolphin was found dead on September 28, 2003 on Sanibel Island. Necropsy findings included lungworm pneumonia. This was the first animal examined for a recently funded study to the Stranding Investigations Program awarded from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. The goal of this study is to investigate lungworm infection in stranded bottlenose dolphins to better understand the kinds of diseases that may affect the dolphin population at large.

MML 0332 - This male bottlenose dolphin was found dead on October 1, 2003 floating near Gasparilla Pass in Charlotte Harbor. This was a known animal from the Charlotte Harbor area, having been seen by Sarasota Dolphin Research Program in the area since 1982. Cause of death was not determined due to advanced decomposition. The examination of stomach contents revealed 2 loose fish hooks, with some monofilament line attached, and the remains of a large redfish, a species important in the recreational fisheries.

Cause of death categories for 50 (44 dead stranded and 6 live stranded that subsequently died during rehabilitation) sea turtles were as follows:

Cause of Death Category-Sea Turtles	Number of Animals
Not examined (partial carcasses, skeletal remains, unrecovered)	23
Undetermined due to advanced decomposition	13
Fisheries interactions-boat strikes, entanglements	4
Natural Causes (including emaciation, bacterial disease, GI perforations)	5
Open diagnoses	5
Total	50

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