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UNCW marine mammal researchers talk about tough stranding cases, ways to educate the public

UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program scientists — from left to right: Alison Loftis, Tiffany Keenan, and Michael Tift.
Rachel Keith
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WHQR
UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program scientists, from left to right: Alison Loftis, Tiffany Keenan, and Michael Tift.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina Wilmington marine mammal stranding program (MMSP) say that last year, around 55 bottlenose dolphins, the main species that strand off the coast, washed up on shore. Twenty-five other marine mammals, including different types of dolphins, whales, and seals, also stranded. These researchers also monitor manatees, who increasingly make the waters north of Florida a part of their habitat.

Dr. Tiffany Keenan, UNCW’s marine mammal stranding coordinator, said in the last couple of years, there have been more cases of human interaction as likely causes of these strandings.

“So that means animals that are either entangled in gear or debris or that have ingested some kind of plastic,” she said.

UNCW's Dr. Michael Tift: "Total number of bottlenose dolphins that stranded in North Carolina from 2000-2023. Note that 2013 – 2015 marks an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) due to an outbreak of cetacean morbillivirus, which is in the same family of viruses as measles. Over 90% of dolphins tested during that period were positive for the virus (link). More information on Cetacean Morbillivirus (link)."
UNCW MMSP
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UNCW
UNCW's Dr. Michael Tift: "Total number of bottlenose dolphins that stranded in North Carolina from 2000-2023. Note that 2013 – 2015 marks an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) due to an outbreak of cetacean morbillivirus, which is in the same family of viruses as measles. Over 90% of dolphins tested during that period were positive for the virus (link). More information on Cetacean Morbillivirus (link)."

They’re seeing an uptick in whale strandings—they’ve had three young sperm whales, a minke whale, a humpback whale, and a Sei whale. According to Keenan, it was new for scientists to see a minke whale die from Brucella, a bacteria endemic to the population.

“It's when animals become kind of debilitated, or maybe they are a bit stressed for a reason, that these diseases, or these normally safe bacteria, can kind of become a disease and ramp up,” she said.

UNCW Dr. Michael Tift: "Diversity of marine mammal species that stranded along the coast of North Carolina in 2023. The UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program works with several other organizations to respond to these events. Some organizations include the NOAA, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, North Carolina Aquariums, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, NC State CMAST, local volunteer veterinarians, and many more."
UNCW MMSP
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UNCW
UNCW's Dr. Michael Tift: "Diversity of marine mammal species that stranded along the coast of North Carolina in 2023. The UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program works with several other organizations to respond to these events. Some organizations include the NOAA, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, North Carolina Aquariums, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, NC State CMAST, local volunteer veterinarians, and many more."

 

Sad stranding stories

MMSP scientists respond to marine mammals in crisis, but often, when they arrive on the scene, the animal has already died. There were a couple of challenging cases over the past year that the team wants to avoid dealing with in the future.

Related: Rarely seen whale species died on Emerald Isle after swallowing mylar balloon

North Atlantic right whale Juno and her calf

Only about 300 North Atlantic Right Whales are left on the planet, and less than 70 reproductive females are in that population (the species takes a while to reach reproductive maturity). These whales like to swim and breed off the North Carolina coast – and a pair being tracked by MMSP scientists, Palmetto and Juno, were sighted near Topsail and Surf City with their newborn calves earlier this year.

In January, Juno was traveling with her calf and was spotted off the coast of Edisto, South Carolina.

“Unfortunately, the calf had a very significant injury to its head from a boat propeller, so just very deep lacerations,” UNCW's stranding assistant coordinator Alison Loftis said. “They did continue to migrate south, but it was in March when the calf was found off of the coast of Georgia, deceased.”

Keenan said it took a while for the calf to succumb to its injuries because “these guys have this great layer of blubber and can live off those reserves for a long time before it starves.”

While the deceased whale was a calf, adult right whales can live a year or two longer off their reserves after a boat-strike injury, though in some cases, they succumb sooner due to bacterial infections.

Strikes come from cargo vessels or fishing boats between 40 and 60 feet long — ships that are common in the ports that right whales are naturally attracted to because of the deep channels where fish concentrate, Keenan said.

Right whales can swim at speeds of around 10 knots, so scientists ask that ships slow down to at least this speed during their birthing and calf traveling season (Nov. 1 to April 30). These recommendations were recently codified in new proposed regulations, but there’s been pushback from fishermen, boaters, and some politicians like U.S. Congressman David Rouzer, so the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reopened a public comment period about them.

Dr. Michael Tift is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology and director of the stranding program.

“It seems like this population is doomed for extinction, so what the legislation is trying to do right now is pass boat speed restrictions for certain size vessels to reduce the speed and in hopes of reducing the number of vessel strikes,” Tift said.

According to Tift, the main causes of North Atlantic right whale deaths are “vessel strikes, entanglements, and ropes, most likely due to fishing gear,” with no evidence of other major causes of death.

He added that, when it comes to entanglement deaths, emerging technologies are available for industries like lobster fishing: ropeless pots, devices that rely on inflatable buoys to lift them from the ocean floor instead of ropes that are left connected to buoys on the surface. These new devices promise a drastic reduction in rope entanglement, but the cost of implementing them may be an issue, although some federal grant money is available to make the switch.

The harbor seal 

A juvenile harbor seal showed up in the Outer Banks earlier this year. The problem was that the public kept taking selfies with it and getting too close to the animal. The seal kept trying to escape into the ocean when it likely needed to rest on the beach.

“It was a very unhealthy animal, but every time the public got close to it, it pushed the animal into the water, which made it spend the energy it didn’t have,” Tift said. “If the animal raises its head to look at you, you’re too close. If the animal is reacting to you, you’re too close.”

Keenan said she and the stranding team kept trying to catch it, but “every time we got near it, unfortunately, it was just chased off the beach right before we got there. We think it used up the end of its reserves and didn't make it.” She added they are still determining its official cause of death.

However, while the MMSP team wants the public to keep a healthy distance from animals on the beach — they still want patrons to call them (911 can dispatch — or their direct line is 910-515-7354) and take pictures of them at a safe distance.

Manatees keep coming

MMSP scientist Alison Loftis on manatees traveling north of Florida.

Alison Loftis is MMSP’s assistant stranding coordinator. She said North Carolina shores continue to see a significant increase in manatees traveling and staying north of Florida. One was even sighted as far north as Rhode Island this past year — and, unfortunately, didn’t make it back down south in time.

Loftis said there is a high correlation between climate change and how far manatees travel. And sometimes, they can stay north too long in the fall and winter months, which can become deadly.

“So anytime the water temperature gets below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for a long period, manatees can enter a state of cold stress, which is like prolonged hypothermia for humans, and so that's when their body just kind of starts to shut down. It makes them vulnerable to many other secondary infections, including bacterial and viral infections. It also causes them not to eat a lot, so they can also succumb to starvation,” she said.

Because of climate change, scientists hypothesize that rapidly changing water temperatures reduce the manatees' ability to sense slight changes, signaling them to travel back south.

If MMSP scientists know that manatees are in the area before the cold water hits, they can contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to extract the animal if necessary.

Another reason manatees stay in more northern waters is that people feed or give them water from a hose if they’re stationed at the marina. Loftis said this can cause them to change their natural behavioral patterns.

Since manatees hang out longer off the North Carolina coast, they’re more likely to be hit by boats, their biggest nemesis. Loftis said they can identify individual manatees based on their scar patterns from boat strikes—over 96% have these marks. And because of this reality, scientists like Loftis are encouraging legislators to start thinking about boat speed rules.

But in the meantime, MMSP researchers are asking boaters to slow down, especially if a manatee has been sighted in the area. Loftis said manatees make ‘footprints’ with their broad tails, which are known as ‘paddles.’ When they swim, these footprints look like circular impressions in the water. Loftis said she wants the public to inform MMSP immediately if they see the federally protected species but cautions people to stay at least three school buses away from them in the water.

Future of the MMSP, and how to help report strandings

Tift said the MMSP mainly relies on federal grants to respond to strandings. Still, it is starting to receive more funding from donors to run more outreach events and hire interns to educate students in the Cape Fear region about coastal species.

Isabella Ackermann is with IMA 001. UNCW's Alison Loftis said, "She was one of MMSP's interns who designed and created the necropsy model as her capstone project."
UNCW MMSP
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UNCW
Isabella Ackermann is with IMA 001. UNCW's Alison Loftis said, "She was one of MMSP's interns who designed and created the necropsy model as her capstone project." MMSP uses IMA 001 to teach students about the marine mammal's physiology.

They’ve also integrated some of the samples and data they’ve collected from deceased marine mammals into introductory biology courses.

“We are working with the university to secure funding for the program, and we're excited about that opportunity, but we can use donated funds to help support the personnel and the things that we need to respond to these animals safely,” he said.

These scientists are continuing their outreach efforts, but they say the most important things for the public to remember about marine mammals are to not push any of them back into the water, stay a safe distance away, and report strandings to MMSP’s hotline (910-515-7354 or call 911) as soon as possible. They need to know the location of the animal, its condition (live, deceased, injured), and photos and descriptions of the stranded animal.

Editor's Note: The harbor seal was first sighted in the Outer Banks, but the response was in the MMSP's area. It was first reported in Emerald Isle, and then it traveled south over the course of the week down to the Fort Fisher/Kure Beach area.

Prior reporting

Resources 

UNCW’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program 

Support the program 

Submit a Manatee Sighting Report 

FWC Manatee Program

FWC Facebook Post - "What is a manatee footprint?"

FWC Instagram Post - "Go slow - manatees below!"

Meet the NARW Mothers and Calves of the 2024 Season 

NARW sightings map

Rachel is a graduate of UNCW's Master of Public Administration program, specializing in Urban and Regional Policy and Planning. She also received a Master of Education and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and French Language & Literature from NC State University. She served as WHQR's News Fellow from 2017-2019. Contact her by email: rkeith@whqr.org or on Twitter @RachelKWHQR