Pathology and causes of death of stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands (1999−2005)

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Manuel Arbelo¹  Francisco Rodríguez¹  Antonio Fernández¹  Marisa Andrada¹  Eva Sierra¹  Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros¹  Pedro Herráez¹  Paul D. Jepson¹ 

关键词: Dolphin;    Whale;    Strandings;    Disease;    Bycatch;    Necropsy;   

DOI  :  10.3354/dao02558

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Between 1999 and 2005, 233 stranded cetaceans (comprising 19 species) were reported in the waters of the Canary Islands. Of these, 138/233 (59.2%) were subjected to a complete or partial standardized necropsy, including 4 Balaenopteridae, 9 Physeteridae, 8 Kogiidae, 27 Ziphiidae and 90 Delphinidae. Of these, 46/138 (33.3%) cetaceans were diagnosed with anthropogenic pathological categories (i.e. the cause of death was anthropogenic). These included fishing interaction (bycatch) (19 individuals), ‘atypical�? mass stranding events linked to naval exercises (13), ship collisions (8) and other anthropogenic-related pathology (6). ‘Natural�? (i.e. non-anthropogenic) causes of death accounted for another 82/138 (59.4%) cases, including infectious and non-infectious diseases (63), neonatal pathology (8), intra- and interspecific interactions (6) and mass strandings (5). The cause(s) of death could not be determined in 10/138 (7.3%) necropsied animals. The most common causes of death were ship collisions in 6/9 (66.6%) Physeteridae, ‘atypical�? mass stranding linked to naval exercises in 13/27 (48.1%) Ziphiidae, and ‘natural�? infectious and non-infectious diseases in 55/90 (61.1%) Delphinidae. Interaction with fishing activities was established as cause of death in 15/90 (16.7%) Delphinidae. These data show that a range of anthropogenic and natural single and mass mortality events occur in multiple cetacean species stranded in the Canary Islands.

【 授权许可】

Unknown