Oil Effects on Manatees: Evaluating the Risks

Aubin, David J. St.; Lounsbury, Valerie J.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-280600-1.50016-7

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…As manatees consume sea grasses, retained for a long period of time in the gut, they have unique gastric glands and gut flora and fauna specialized for hindgut fermentation. Ingested oil may interfere with these processess and increased uptake of hydrocarbons may occur due to the long retention time of food in the gut (St. Aubin and Lounsbury 1990 ). Ingested oil may eradicate digestive flora, resulting in an inability to obtain nutrients which may result in starvation (Wikelski et al 2001 , 2002 ; Romero and Wikelski 2002 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of petroleum toxicity and identifying common endpoints for future research on diluted bitumen toxicity in marine mammals

2021

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Large volumes of conventional crude oil continue to be shipped by sea from production to consumption areas across the globe. In addition, unconventional petroleum products also transverse pelagic habitats; for example, diluted bitumen from Canada’s oilsands which is shipped along the Pacific coast to the United States and Asia. Therefore, there is a continuing need to assess the toxicological consequences of chronic and catastrophic petroleum spillage on marine wildlife. Peer-reviewed literature on the toxicity of unconventional petroleum such as diluted bitumen exists for teleost fish, but not for fauna such as marine mammals. In order to inform research needs for unconventional petroleum toxicity we conducted a comprehensive literature review of conventional petroleum toxicity on marine mammals. The common endpoints observed in conventional crude oil exposures and oil spills include hematological injury, modulation of immune function and organ weight, genotoxicity, eye irritation, neurotoxicity, lung disease, adrenal dysfunction, metabolic and clinical abnormalities related to oiling of the pelage, behavioural impacts, decreased reproductive success, mortality, and population-level declines. Based on our findings and the body of literature we accessed, our recommendations for future research include: 1) improved baseline data on PAH and metals exposure in marine mammals, 2) improved pre- and post-spill data on marine mammal populations, 3) the use of surrogate mammalian models for petroleum toxicity testing, and 4) the need for empirical data on the toxicity of unconventional petroleum to marine mammals.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of petroleum toxicity and identifying common endpoints for future research on diluted bitumen toxicity in marine mammals

2021

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“…St Aubin and Lounsbury [76] reported that during the winter of 1981 and 1982, three dead manatees were recovered near Jacksonville, Florida, and one along the Little Manatee River, Florida, and examination of their carcasses revealed oil in the gastrointestinal tract. While of the 53 carcasses of dugongs (D. dugon) found during five months in the Persian Gulf, after the oil spill in 1983, the presence of oil was not verified.…”

Section: Sireniansmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many impacts on fauna occur indirectly or through the trophic web, since animals may also be contaminated when feeding on contaminated organisms [7,18,27,63,76,77]. When these animals bioaccumulate contaminants through the trophic web, they become environmental sentinels, revealing environmental information related to impacts to the fauna [98,99].…”

Section: Impact By Food Webmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of oil spills worldwide and impacts on marine megafauna

Silva,

Attademo,

Gavilan

et al. 2024

BJCR

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Oil spills have a significant impact on the environment, posing threats to various marine species. This review aims to gather information on various oil spills that have occurred worldwide and discuss their impact on marine megafauna (marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds), in order to provide useful insights that can be applied in decision-making during rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The publications were obtained from oil spill searches in databases such as Elsevier-Scopus, Scielo, JStor, and Google Scholar. Oil spills can cause lethal damage to marine biodiversity, affecting individuals of different ages and species. Although the acute effects of oil contamination on wildlife are evident, it is challenging to treat and recover from. Hydrocarbons can persist in the environment for a long time, leading to prolonged exposure of animals to the contaminants. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that the effects of oil spills on marine megafauna may not be observed in the short term, such as contamination through the bioaccumulation of compounds in the food chain. It is necessary to conduct systematic studies on local fauna at all developmental stages of oil activities, including seismic research, exploration, and oil distribution to address the impact of oil spills on marine megafauna.

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“…Along the Brazilian coast, manatee populations are patchily distributed from Amapá to Alagoas (Luna et al, 2008; de Lima et al, 2011) and there is evidence of released animals using the coasts of Sergipe and Bahia states (Deutsch et al, 2008). The distribution of manatees is influenced by physiological (nutrition and metabolism; St Aubin & Lounsbury, 1990) and environmental factors (water salinity, temperature and depth, and availability of food resources; Lefebvre et al, 2001), freshwater supply (Favero et al, 2020) and anthropogenic habitat modifications (Deutsch et al, 2008). Manatees prefer naturally sheltered areas such as coves, bays and estuaries and are sensitive to disturbance caused by the construction and operation of cities, ports, marinas, shipyards, salt works, shrimp farms and other anthropogenic structures and activities in these areas (Aquasis, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home ranges of released West Indian manatees Trichechus manatus in Brazil

Santos

Medeiros

Rebelo

et al. 2022

Oryx

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The distribution of the Vulnerable West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus is influenced by physical and environmental factors such as water salinity, temperature and depth, freshwater supply and the availability of food resources. In Brazil, information on the habitat use of this species is insufficient for effective conservation. Here, we monitored manatees that had been found stranded as calves, rehabilitated in captivity and subsequently released, to identify their home ranges and examine their adaptation to life in the wild. The study, which involved monitoring six manatees using satellite and VHF telemetry systems, was conducted during 2016–2019 in the states of Paraíba, Sergipe and Bahia in north-eastern Brazil. Home range size of individuals was 2.56–42.07 km2 and all fidelity sites (areas used most frequently) were within protected areas. The longest distance travelled from the coastline upriver was 14.24 km and the longest distance offshore was 0.93 km. There were no significant differences in home range data between the dry and rainy seasons, but there was significant difference between the sexes, with males travelling across larger areas than females. All but one of the six individuals met the majority of indicators established in the Brazilian Manatee Reintroduction Protocol, and thus were considered to have successfully adapted to the wild. Our study provides information on patterns of habitat use and areas intensely used by manatees, which can assist protected area managers in defining priority areas for manatee conservation in Brazil.

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Oil Effects on Manatees: Evaluating the Risks

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Review of petroleum toxicity and identifying common endpoints for future research on diluted bitumen toxicity in marine mammals

Review of petroleum toxicity and identifying common endpoints for future research on diluted bitumen toxicity in marine mammals

Overview of oil spills worldwide and impacts on marine megafauna

Home ranges of released West Indian manatees Trichechus manatus in Brazil

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