Spatio-Temporal Characterization of Pinniped Strandings and Human Interaction Cases in the Pacific Northwest, 1991-2016

Warlick, Amanda; Duffield, Deborah A.; Lambourn, Dyanna M.; Jeffries, Steven J.; Rice, James Mahmud; Gaydos, Joseph K.; Huggins, Jessica L.; Calambokidis, John; Lahner, Lesanna L.; Olsen, Jennifer; D’Agnese, Erin; Souze, Victoria; Elsby, Alysha; Norman, Stephanie A.

doi:10.1578/am.44.3.2018.299

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…However, harbor porpoise strandings are substantially lower in the winter than in other seasons (Norman et al, 2004;Huggins et al, 2015), suggesting a higher proportion of infections during the winter months, when heavy rain and flooding is common, which could be a mode of fungal dispersal into the marine environment. All of the infected harbor seal cases occurred in summer, coincident with pupping season and highest seasonal harbor seal strandings (Warlick et al, 2018). Given the low number of harbor seals with mucormycosis in this study, we could not determine seasonality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest

Huggins

Garner²,

Raverty

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Primary fungal diseases in marine mammals are rare. Mucormycosis, a disease caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, has been documented in few cetaceans and pinnipeds. In 2012, the first case of mucormycosis in the Pacific Northwest was documented in a dead stranded harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in Washington state. Since then, mucormycosis has been detected in a total of 21 marine mammals; fifteen harbor porpoises, five harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and one southern resident killer whale (Orcinus orca). Infected animals were predominately found in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia, and one harbor seal was recovered in northern Oregon. Fungal hyphae were detected histologically in a variety of tissues, including brain, lung, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, muscle, lymph nodes, and skin. Three fungal species were identified from seven cases by PCR screening or fungal culture; Rhizomucor pusillus (four cases), Lichtheimia corymbifera (two cases), and Cunninghamella bertholletiae. Underlying conditions such as emaciation, current or recent pregnancy, multisystemic parasitism, protozoal infection, and herpesvirus were found in several affected animals. Reasons for the appearance and subsequent increase of these fungal infections in marine mammals are unknown. The emergence of this disease as a source of marine mammal mortality in the Pacific Northwest is of particular concern for endangered southern resident killer whales that spend time in this region. Current population-level stressors such as insufficient prey, high levels of contaminants, and noise pollution, could predispose them to these fatal infections.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest

Huggins

Garner²,

Raverty

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…The consistency between these results and historical studies suggests a persistence of differential migration patterns through time across periods with varying climate, available resources, and human interaction. The impacts of anthropogenic climate change and human activities such as commercial fishing 84,85 and entanglement in marine debris 86 on juvenile migration warrant continued investigation, in particular given the evidence presented in this study that adult migratory patterns are observed from a young age. Juvenile migratory strategies identified in this work provide a framework for future quantitative study of environmental indices that relate to juvenile survival.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Migratory strategies of juvenile northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus): bridging the gap between pups and adults

Zeppelin

Pelland

Sterling

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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In species exhibiting differential migration by sex and age, understanding what differences exist, and the adaptive reasons for these differences is critical for determining how demographic groups will respond to environmental variability and anthropogenic perturbations. We used satellite-telemetered movement and diving data to investigate differential migration and its ontogeny in a highly migratory North Pacific Ocean predator, the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus; NFS), with a focus on understudied juvenile (1- to 2-year-old) animals. We instrumented 71 juvenile NFS in two years (2006–07 and 2007–08) at three major North American breeding sites and compared their migratory strategies with pups and adults. Although sexual dimorphism is strong in adult NFS, only weak differences in body mass between sexes were found in juveniles, which had similar body mass to pups (~3–4 months). However, unlike widely-dispersed pups, juvenile male and female NFS dispersed in different directions, and used different habitats characterized by distinct hydrography and prey assemblages during migration, similar to breeding adults. Juvenile diving behavior differed only modestly among habitats and between sexes, consistent with weak differences in body mass. Evidence of habitat sexual segregation by juvenile NFS contradicts previous hypotheses that physiological differences predominantly drive the ontogeny of differential migration.

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“…Specifically, two local species were targeted for sampling: harbor seals and harbor porpoises. These species were chosen for several reasons: they both occur in the Salish Sea in the greatest numbers compared to other marine mammal species; they are the most commonly stranded species within the Sea [22,23]; harbor seal and porpoise populations inhabiting the Salish Sea generally tend to stay more localized without traveling great distances, compared to their outer coast cohorts [24]; and these two species would be the most likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria originating from terrestrial sources surrounding the Salish Sea, compared to more migratory or less common marine mammal species within the Sea. Lastly, they provide an opportunity to compare a completely aquatic species (porpoise) to one that is semi-aquatic (seals).…”

Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria in Two Marine Mammal Species, Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoises, Living in an Urban Marine Ecosystem, the Salish Sea, Washington State, USA

Norman

Lambourn

Huggins

et al. 2021

Oceans

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The pervasive use of antibiotics in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture can result in a significant increase in the spread and environmental persistence of antibiotic resistance in marine ecosystems. This study describes the presence and distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Salish Sea harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and evaluates species, age class, and geographic differences in resistance patterns. Isolates from 95 dead-stranded animals (74 seals/21 porpoises) were tested for resistance to a suite of 15 antibiotics. Of the 95 sampled, 85 (89%) (67 seals/18 porpoises) successfully yielded 144 isolates, with 37% resistant to at least one antibiotic and 26% multi-drug resistant (24% and 39% of seal and porpoise isolates, respectively). Overall, and by study region, porpoises were significantly more likely to harbor resistant organisms compared to seals. Significant differences between age classes were noted for the antibiotics amoxicillin, cephalexin, and cefovecin. Overall isolate resistance was significantly greater in porpoises than seals for several individual antibiotics. Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices greater than 0.2 were observed in 55% of multi-drug resistant isolates, suggesting seal and porpoise exposure to anthropogenic pollution. The relatively high and disparate prevalence of antibiotic resistance in these common, but ecologically dissimilar, marine mammals reflects a potentially large environmental pool of antibiotic resistant organisms in the Salish Sea or inherently different resistance gene patterns between the two species.

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Spatio-Temporal Characterization of Pinniped Strandings and Human Interaction Cases in the Pacific Northwest, 1991-2016

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest

The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest

Migratory strategies of juvenile northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus): bridging the gap between pups and adults

Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria in Two Marine Mammal Species, Harbor Seals and Harbor Porpoises, Living in an Urban Marine Ecosystem, the Salish Sea, Washington State, USA

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