Every year hundreds of cetaceans strand on New Zealand beaches. Options for dealing with disposal of their carcasses are few, creating significant problems for the Department of Conservation (DOC). More often than not their carcasses are buried in beaches at or just above high water mark, near where the animals have stranded. The primary objective of this thesis is to determine the effects of cetacean burial on beach sediments, and evaluate potential health and safety risks associated with this practice. A secondary objective of this thesis is to appraise the appropriateness of one location DOC has repeatedly transported cetacean carcasses to and buried within beach sediments, Motutapu Island in Waitemata Harbour. The chemical effects of cetacean burial over a six-month period are reported for two sites at which animals were buried in 2008, Muriwai and Pakiri beaches; the biological effects of this burial are reported for one of these sites, Muriwai Beach, 12 months post burial. Intertidal faunal and floral inventories are provided for six sites around Motutapu Island, and these then compared and contrasted with inventories compiled from an additional 290 intertidal sites between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga Harbour, North Island East Coast, to appraise the relative uniqueness of intertidal species diversity around Motutapu Island. At both Muriwai and Pakiri beaches, nitrogen and phosphate concentrations in surface sands changed considerably following cetacean burial, although over six months the effect was localized and elevated concentrations of these two chemicals that could be attributed to a buried carcass did not extend more than 40 m from the site of whale burial. Deep-core profiles revealed nitrogen and phosphate concentrations at and in the immediate vicinity of cetacean burial approximately six months after burial to be markedly elevated to the level of the water table, but elevated concentrations attributable to the buried carcass were not observed greater than 25 m from the site of burial. Elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphates in beaches persist in surface sediments for at least six months post burial. Twelve months post cetacean burial no significant difference in species richness or abundance were apparent in intertidal communities extending along transects proximal to and some distance from the Muriwai Beach carcass; there is no evidence for any significant short-term (to 12 months) biological effects of cetacean burial in beaches. Of those shores on Motutapu Island accessible by earth-moving equipment and large vessels capable of dealing with and transporting large cetacean carcasses, Station Bay appeared to be the most appropriate site for whale burial. However its small size and relatively high biological value (fairly high species richness for comparable shores between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga) renders it an inappropriate long-term option for whale burial. Other shores on Motutapu Island host some of the highest species richness of all shores surveyed between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga Harbour, rendering them entirely inappropriate locations for burying cetaceans, over and above other variables that may influence disposal location identification (such as archaeological sites, dwellings and accessibility). Motutapu Island is not considered an appropriate location for cetacean burial within beaches. Alternative disposal strategies need to be explored for dealing with cetaceans that strand on Auckland east coast beaches. Although burial is the most convenient and most economical strategy to dispose of cetacean carcass, especially in mass stranding events or when cetaceans are of large size, and the biological effects of this practice are not considered significant (for the one whale that could be studied), persistent enrichment of beach sediments with organic matter could result in prolonged persistence of pathogens in beaches, causing unforeseen risks to human health and safety. Recommendations are made to minimize possible threats to public following burial of cetaceans in beaches, until the potential health risks of burial are more fully understood.

Every year hundreds of cetaceans strand on New Zealand beaches. Options for dealing with disposal of their carcasses are few, creating significant problems for the Department of Conservation (DOC). More often than not their carcasses are buried in beaches at or just above high water mark, near where the animals have stranded. The primary objective of this thesis is to determine the effects of cetacean burial on beach sediments, and evaluate potential health and safety risks associated with this practice. A secondary objective of this thesis is to appraise the appropriateness of one location DOC has repeatedly transported cetacean carcasses to and buried within beach sediments, Motutapu Island in Waitemata Harbour. The chemical effects of cetacean burial over a six-month period are reported for two sites at which animals were buried in 2008, Muriwai and Pakiri beaches; the biological effects of this burial are reported for one of these sites, Muriwai Beach, 12 months post burial. Intertidal faunal and floral inventories are provided for six sites around Motutapu Island, and these then compared and contrasted with inventories compiled from an additional 290 intertidal sites between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga Harbour, North Island East Coast, to appraise the relative uniqueness of intertidal species diversity around Motutapu Island. At both Muriwai and Pakiri beaches, nitrogen and phosphate concentrations in surface sands changed considerably following cetacean burial, although over six months the effect was localized and elevated concentrations of these two chemicals that could be attributed to a buried carcass did not extend more than 40 m from the site of whale burial. Deep-core profiles revealed nitrogen and phosphate concentrations at and in the immediate vicinity of cetacean burial approximately six months after burial to be markedly elevated to the level of the water table, but elevated concentrations attributable to the buried carcass were not observed greater than 25 m from the site of burial. Elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphates in beaches persist in surface sediments for at least six months post burial. Twelve months post cetacean burial no significant difference in species richness or abundance were apparent in intertidal communities extending along transects proximal to and some distance from the Muriwai Beach carcass; there is no evidence for any significant short-term (to 12 months) biological effects of cetacean burial in beaches. Of those shores on Motutapu Island accessible by earth-moving equipment and large vessels capable of dealing with and transporting large cetacean carcasses, Station Bay appeared to be the most appropriate site for whale burial. However its small size and relatively high biological value (fairly high species richness for comparable shores between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga) renders it an inappropriate long-term option for whale burial. Other shores on Motutapu Island host some of the highest species richness of all shores surveyed between Whangarei Heads and Tauranga Harbour, rendering them entirely inappropriate locations for burying cetaceans, over and above other variables that may influence disposal location identification (such as archaeological sites, dwellings and accessibility). Motutapu Island is not considered an appropriate location for cetacean burial within beaches. Alternative disposal strategies need to be explored for dealing with cetaceans that strand on Auckland east coast beaches. Although burial is the most convenient and most economical strategy to dispose of cetacean carcass, especially in mass stranding events or when cetaceans are of large size, and the biological effects of this practice are not considered significant (for the one whale that could be studied), persistent enrichment of beach sediments with organic matter could result in prolonged persistence of pathogens in beaches, causing unforeseen risks to human health and safety. Recommendations are made to minimize possible threats to public following burial of cetaceans in beaches, until the potential health risks of burial are more fully understood.

Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are the only cetacean residents found year-round in Swedish waters. Since in situ monitoring of cetaceans can be difficult, invasive and often costly, strandings can be used as a cost-effective alternative to continuously collect data on these elusive animals. In this study, spatiotemporal patterns, and their possible underlying causes, of harbour porpoise stranding reports in Swedish waters are investigated over the ten-year period of 2014–2023. When making spatial comparisons, for management purposes, the ten-year period is divided into two, 2014–2018 and 2019–2023. Data on 854 stranded harbour porpoises were analysed from the coasts of the Skagerrak, Kattegat, and Baltic Seas. Both significant spatial and temporal patterns could be identified, with strandings peaking in July to September and with hotspots occurring along most of the Swedish west coast, with the most frequent hotspots located around Öresund and especially the area around Kullen peninsula. The spatial patterns of strandings found in this study reflect data on porpoise abundance, prey abundance, and gillnet fisheries effort. The latter is known to be one of the primary causes of porpoise mortality. Furthermore, the coverage of the Swedish stranding network is analysed. While coverage of the stranding network overall has increased over the period, some areas still lack sufficient coverage, including the coast of Falkenberg, southern Gothenburg, northern Halmstad and certain areas around Lommabukten, north of Malmö. With this, we conclude that harbour porpoise strandings in Sweden show distinct spatiotemporal patterns that can be used as baselines for management and monitoring of these small cetaceans.

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) can be found worldwide, inhabiting tropical and subtropical coastal waters. The loggerhead was classified as an endangered species and placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List in 1996 (IUCN 2006).The problem of sea turtle mortality as a result of collisions with vessels is of increasing concern, especially in the southeastern United States, where increased development along the coasts results in increased recreational boat traffic. In the United States, the percentage of strandings that were attributed to vessel strikes has increased from approximately 10% in the 1980's to a record high of 20.5% in 2004 (NMFS 2007). This report presents results from field experiments designed to investigate the ways in which loggerhead sea turtles are injured in boat collisions, and the effectiveness of several mitigation options for reducing the risk of fatal interactions. In order to conduct these field experiments, a synthetic sea turtle carapace was designed and built that approximated the structural behavior of a biological sea turtle carapace. Hodges (2008) quantified the material strength properties of loggerhead sea turtle carapaces. From these results, it was determined that the target parameter for simulating tensile strength in a synthetic carapace should be force per unit width of sample. Hodges designed and constructed an artificial carapace made of composite material for use in controlled experiments. Modifications were made to the design proposed by Hodges (2008) to facilitate rapid construction. Several designs were tested using the force per unit width as the target strength parameter and compared to the strength of the biological carapace. Tests on the design ultimately adopted showed a force per unit width 17.6% stronger than the biological carapace. The composite material being stronger than the biological carapace means the testing will result in conservative reports of damage. Once the design and construction methods were finalized, approximately 60 artificial carapaces were fabricated for field testing. A frame, weighting scheme and buoyancy unit were designed and fabricated so that each test carapace floated at proper draft and had realistic specific gravity and weight. Field testing procedures were designed to investigate the influence of a) boat speed, b) animal position in the water column, and c) vessel propulsion system on the severity of vessel collisions on turtles. All experiments were done with small (<6 m in length) vessels. Boat/sea turtle collisions were simulated by placing a test specimen (a synthetic carapace attached to a test frame) in the water column and striking it with the vessel. The speeds considered were idle (7 km/h), sub-planing (14 km/h), and planing (40 km/hr). The two animal positions in the water column were 1) at the water surface and 2) at "prop depth" (depth to the center of the propeller hub on the standard outboard motor). Five propulsion options were tested: 1) a standard outboard motor, 2) a standard outboard motor with Hydroshield® propeller guard 3) a standard outboard motor with Prop Buddy® propeller guard, 4) a jet outboard motor and 5) a jet-propelled personal watercraft, often referred to generically as a "jet ski". The experiments typically included five trials per test configuration. Catastrophic (presumably fatal) damage was defined to occur when any damage penetrated the carapace. Small wounds (< 4 cm in length) along the sides or rear of the artificial carapace, where the shell and bone extend beyond the edge of the body cavity, were not classified as catastrophic This definition was used to classify the effectiveness of the various mitigation options. Results indicate that reducing the speed of the vessel reduces the odds of severe damage to the animals. Of all of the tests performed with the standard outboard motor (including tests with propeller guards installed), 25% of those performed at idle speed resulted in catastrophic damage, compared to 100% for planing speed tests. The two tested propeller guards both modified the type of damage to the animal when compared to similar tests with the standard motor configuration, but they only slightly reduced the risk of catastrophic damage. At idle speed, with propeller guard installed, 10% of the tests resulted in catastrophic damage. The corresponding number for the standard motor was 40%. At planing speed, 100% of the tests resulted in catastrophic damage, with or without the propeller guard. No catastrophic injuries were observed during testing of both jet propulsion systems (jet outboard and jet ski) at any speed or depth in the water column. Both feature a much smaller draft than the standard outboard, which results in little chance of striking an animal below the surface. And both the jet outboard and the jet-powered watercraft feature water intakes that are relatively smooth and appeared to slide across the animal with minimal damage to the carapace when the model animal was floating on the surface. The experiments described here involved a limited range of hull configurations; results may be different for hulls or propulsion systems drastically different than those tested here. But the results obtained indicate that equipment, in the form of the boat's propulsion system, and the mode in which it is used both play a role in defining the risk of boats to turtles in the field.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:10:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DanielSDF_DISSERT.pdf: 2531528 bytes, checksum: d49ec62287719664b6c710e8fc8aa8da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This work aimed to study the diversity and distribution of marine sea turtles stranded in Potiguar Basin, Rio Grande do Norte, as well as aspects related to feeding behavior associated with human impacts. The study was conducted through the analysis of data from stranded animals, recorded in a daily monitoring in an area bounded on the north by the municipality of Aquiraz, in the state of Cear?, and the east by the municipality of Caicara do Norte, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Stranded dead animals were necropsied and for the analysis of the diet of animals, esophagus, stomach and intestines were fixed in 10% formalin and after that, the stomach contents were sorted and stored in 70% alcohol. Representative fragments of these organs were removed for making histological slides, with a view to histological characterization of the digestive tract. 2.046 occurrences of turtles were recorded during the period from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2012. The Chelonia mydas species showed the highest number of records and it was observed in 66.81 % (N = 1,367) of cases; followed by Eretmochelys imbricata with 4.45 % (N = 91) and by Lepidochelys olivacea with 1.22% (N = 25). The Caretta caretta and Dermochelys coriacea species were, respectively, 0.93 % (N = 19) and 0.05 % (N = 1) records of strandings. In 26.54 % of cases, it was not possible to identify the species. Regarding the spatial distribution, the stretch A was the one that had the highest number of strandings and a larger number of records were registered in the warm months of the year. The dietary analysis showed that C. mydas fed preferentially on algae; C. caretta had a diet with a predominance of the item "coral?s fragments" and E. imbricata species showed preference for an animal origin material. Related to this anthropic interaction, 57.14 % (n = 76) of animals that died at the rehabilitation s base, showed cause of death due to complications from ingesting debris. According to the data presented, the Potiguar Basin presents itself as an area with important diversity and distribution of marine sea turtle as well is characterized as a feeding and nidification area for these species / Este trabalho objetivou estudar a diversidade e distribui??o das tartarugas marinhas encalhadas na Bacia Potiguar, RN, bem como os aspectos relacionados ao comportamento alimentar associados aos impactos antr?picos. O estudo foi realizado com animais encalhados, registrados por monitoramento di?rio, na ?rea delimitada a noroeste pelo munic?pio de Aquiraz, Cear?, e a leste pelo munic?pio de Cai?ara do Norte, RN. Os animais encalhados mortos foram necropsiados e coletados es?fago, est?mago e intestinos, fixados em formol a 10%, sendo posteriormente o conte?do estomacal triado e armazenado. Destes mesmos ?rg?os foram retirados fragmentos para confec??o de l?minas histol?gicas. Foram registradas 2.046 ocorr?ncias de tartarugas marinhas durante o per?odo de 01/01/2010 a 31/12/2012. A esp?cie Chelonia mydas apresentou o maior n?mero de registros (66,81%, N = 1.367); seguido de Eretmochelys imbricata (4,45%, N = 91) e Lepidochelys olivacea com 1,22% (N = 25). Caretta caretta e Dermochelys coriacea apresentaram, respectivamente, 0,93% (N = 19) e 0,05% (N = 1) registros. Tanto a distribui??o espacial, como a temporal, variaram evidenciando maior ocorr?ncia de encalhes no trecho A- Grossos-RN/Icapu?-CE e um maior n?mero de registros nos meses quentes do ano. A an?lise da dieta das tartarugas demonstrou que Chelonia mydas alimentou-se preferencialmente de algas; Caretta caretta de resto calc?rio e Moluscos e E. imbricata de material de origem animal. Dos animais que vieram a ?bito, 57,14% (n = 76) apresentaram como causa mortis ? ingest?o de detritos. A an?lise da histologia demonstra que o es?fago apresenta papilas esof?gicas, revestidas de epit?lio pavimentoso estratificado queratinizado, igualmente a mucosa deste ?rg?o. Aus?ncia de sub mucosa e camada muscular com m?sculos estriados e liso em diferentes dire??es. Est?mago e intestino apresentam as quatro camadas: mucosa, submucosa, muscular e serosa, com destaque para as fossetas g?stricas no est?mago e a presen?a de vilos nos intestinos. De acordo com os dados apresentados, a Bacia Potiguar apresenta-se como uma ?rea de grande diversidade de esp?cies de tartarugas marinhas, sendo caracterizada como ?rea de alimenta??o para essas esp?cies

It has been demonstrated that certain environmental fluctuations correlate with cetacean strandings in many parts of the world. I examined the correlations between three environmental variables (upwelling coefficient, temperature, and chlorophyll a concentration) and Kogia strandings in Florida from 1998 – 2007. In addition I examined the correlations between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and Kogia strandings in Florida and the southeastern United States (SEUS) from 1977-2007. Florida was divided into four regions and strandings were segregated by region with 76% of the strandings occurring on the east coast of Florida. AVHRR Pathfinder satellite temperature data, and MODIS Aqua and SeaWiFS satellite chlorophyll a data were downloaded from NASA websites; NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center upwelling data were downloaded from the ERD Live Access Server, and ENSO data were also downloaded from a NOAA website. Upwelling was examined on a per stranding basis. For each stranding, a square region (16 km x 16 km) of ocean adjacent to the stranding was examined for upwelling index values for the two weeks prior to the stranding (in increments of six hours). Each region was divided into 16 sub-regions (4 km x 4 km). For each increment of time the data were averaged over all 16 sub-regions. A significant change in upwelling index was defined as a change of absolute value greater than or equal to 200 m3/s/100 m of coastline. Of the 174 strandings, 91 (52%) were correlated to at least one significant upwelling event within 14 days prior to stranding. I examined upwelling, temperature, and chlorophyll a concentration on a seasonal basis. The Florida coastline was divided into 16 regions. Each region was examined, for all three variables, out to approximately 32 km from shore. For each region the data were averaged for each month over the entire ten year study and compared to the number of strandings in each region each month. Data covering the regions of Florida were merged into four large regions (the east coast, the Keys, the west coast, and the Panhandle). I found an inverse correlation between chlorophyll concentration and strandings in Florida. In addition I found an inverse correlation between upwelling and strandings on the west coast of Florida. I examined the ENSO record from 1977 to 2007. I found a direct correlation between ENSO events and strandings in Florida (R2 = 0.1626) and the SEUS (R2 = 0.2236).

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T14:55:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 691952 bytes, checksum: aa37d23f6ffbb0e86e790fa6ad93ee28 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Five sea turtle species use the Brazilian coast for reproduction and feeding: loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), olive turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). These species are included in the threatened categories, as much globally, according to the Red List of Threatened Species, issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as regionally, according to the Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção, published by the Ministério do Meio Ambiente. Sea turtles naturally face a wide variety of stressors, both natural and anthropogenic, like diseases, predation by other animals, incidental capture in fishing artifacts, marine pollution and the hunt. Systematic data collection from stranded sea turtles can provide useful biological information, such as seasonal and spatial patterns in their occurrence, and mortality, age structure, sex ratio, diet, interannual variations associated with climatic or anthropogenic events, as well as possible mortality causes. Thus, this study aimed to examine sea turtle strandings on the coast of Paraíba State, from August 2009 to July 2010, emphasizing the observation of the occurrence of ingestion of anthropogenic debris. In this period, 124 strandings were recorded. The species observed were C. mydas (n = 106), E. imbricata (n = 15), L. olivacea (n = 2) and C. caretta (n = 1). Of the total strandings that could be measured (n = 122), only twelve individuals (9.7%) could be considered adults. In 20 individuals, synthetic anthropogenic debris were found inside the gastrointestinal tract and of these, in 13 individuals it was concluded that the death cause was the ingestion of these residues. In 43 individuals, other traces of human interactions were observed, such as injuries caused by entanglement in fishing lines or nets, collisions with vessels, direct contact with oil spills, and lesions caused by knives and harpoons. In 28.5% of the stranded turtles, the presence of external tumors was noted, suggestive of fibropapillomatosis. Moreover, in 9.7%, shark bite marks were observed. A significant difference was found in the occurrence of strandings between males and females, being that the females were more frequent. Also, a significant difference was found in the occurrence of strandings between the different seasons, being that in the spring/summer (dry season), the strandings were more frequent. The most worrying result of this study was the observation of human interactions in half of the strandings analyzed. Stranding monitoring is necessary along the whole coast of Brazil and, indeed, along those of the entire world, because it has a fundamental role in studies of the ecology, biology and conservation of these species, generating benefits for local action, directed to the major problems observed. / Cinco espécies de tartarugas marinhas utilizam a costa brasileira para reprodução e alimentação: a tartaruga cabeçuda (Caretta caretta), a tartaruga verde (Chelonia mydas), a tartaruga de couro (Dermochelys coriacea), a tartaruga oliva (Lepidochelys olivacea) e a tartaruga de pente (Eretmochelys imbricata). Estas espécies estão incluídas em categorias de ameaça, tanto mundialmente, de acordo com a lista vermelha de animais ameaçados de extinção da União Internacional para a Conservação da Natureza (IUCN), como regionalmente, de acordo com o Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção, do Ministério do Meio Ambiente. As tartarugas marinhas, naturalmente, encontram uma ampla variedade de estressores, tanto naturais quanto antrópicos, como doenças, predação por outros animais, captura incidental em artefatos de pesca, poluição marinha e a caça. A coleta sistemática de dados de tartarugas marinhas encalhadas pode fornecer informação biológica útil, como por exemplo, padrões sazonais e espaciais na ocorrência e mortalidade, estrutura etária, proporção sexual, dieta, variações interanuais associadas a eventos climáticos ou antropogênicos bem como as possíveis causas de mortalidade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar os encalhes de tartarugas marinhas na costa do estado da Paraíba, no período de agosto de 2009 a julho de 2010, enfatizando a observação da ocorrência de ingestão de material antropogênico. Neste período foram registrados 124 encalhes. As espécies observadas foram C. mydas (n = 106), E. imbricata (n = 15), L. olivacea (n = 2) e C. caretta (n = 1). Do total de encalhes que puderam ser mensurados (n = 122), apenas doze indivíduos (9,7%) puderam ser considerados adultos. Em 20 indivíduos, foram encontrados resíduos antropogênicos sintéticos dentro do trato gastrointestinal e destes, em 13 indivíduos foi possível concluir que a causa da morte foi a ingestão destes resíduos. Em 43 indivíduos foram observados outros vestígios de interações humanas, como ferimentos provocados por emaranhamentos em linhas ou redes, ferimentos provocados por colisões com embarcações, contato direto com manchas de óleo e ferimentos provocados por facas e arpões. Em 28,5% das tartarugas encalhadas notou-se a presença de tumores externos sugestivos de fibropapilomatose. Em 9,7% foi possível observar marcas de mordidas de tubarões. Observou-se uma diferença significativa na ocorrência de encalhes entre machos e fêmeas, sendo que as fêmeas foram mais frequentes. Também verificou-se uma diferença significativa na ocorrência de encalhes entre as diferentes estações, sendo que no período de primavera/verão (estação seca) os encalhes foram mais frequentes. O resultado mais preocupante deste estudo foi a observação de evidências de interação com atividades antrópicas em metade dos encalhes analisados. O monitoramento de encalhes se faz necessário em toda a costa do Brasil e do mundo, pois este tem papel fundamental em estudos de ecologia, biologia e conservação destas espécies, gerando assim subsídios para ações locais e direcionadas aos principais problemas observados.