CETACEAN STRANDINGS INVESTIGATION: ENGLAND AND WALES

0,09
MB AND POSEIDON DATABASE

36
stron

3703
ID Institute of Zoology, The Zoological Society of London

2002
rok

CONTENTS

Executive summary . 4

1. Introduction 6

1.1 Aim

1.2 Policy background

1.3 Achievement of project objectives

2 Methodology 9

2.1 Management and personnel

2.2 Protocols for reporting of strandings and post-mortem investigation Reporting of marine

mammal strandings

Reporting of live cetacean strandings

Pathology laboratories

Standard protocols for post-mortem examination, tissue sampling and data recording

2.3 Collaboration with other organisations

2.4 Tissue archive and Poseidon central database

2.5 Reporting of data

2.6 Training

3 Results . 17

3.1 Causes of mortality in cetaceans (1995-1999)

Entanglement in fishing gear (by-catch)

Physical trauma

Infectious disease

Starvation

Live stranding

Dystocia and stillborn

Neoplasia

Other causes of death

3.2 Causes of mortality in grey seals

4 Results of analyses of pooled data .. 23

4.1 Patterns of harbour porpoise mortality (1990-1999)

4.2 Studies of the pathology and epidemiology of cetacean diseases

Investigations into the epidemiology of morbillivirus in cetaceans in UK waters

The pulmonary pathology of harbour porpoises (1990-1996)

4.3 Relationships between contaminants and infectious disease in harbour porpoises

Polychlorinated biphenyls and infectious disease mortality

Heavy metals and infectious disease mortality

4.4 Other analyses of contaminants

Metals and organochlorines in other species

Butyltins

Radionuclides

4.5 Other ongoing research of pooled data on harbour porpoises

Molecular genetic analysis of population structure

Relationships between lungworm abundance and immunosuppressive contaminants

Possible combined effect of organochlorines and heavy metals on health status

Reproductive system pathology

5 Conclusions.. 31

6 Recommendations for future research . 33

7 List of publications directly resulting from this project 1995-2000. 34

Appendices 37

1 Details of postmortem examinations conducted during the period of this report

2 The standardised post-mortem examination guidelines and report forms for cetaceans

3 The standardised post-mortem examination guidelines and report forms for seals

List of plates.. 77