Lori Schwacke, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced that 32 dolphins taken from Louisiana’s Barataria Bay were in overall poor health, though she says their studies do not yet definitely tie the illnesses to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The dolphins, caught in August 2011, were underweight, anemic and showed signs of liver and lung disease. Nearly half had low levels of stress hormones that help with stress response, metabolism and immune function. Thirty-one of the 32 are still alive, although survival prospects for many were grim.
Dolphins Show Health Problems
