Plastics were invented in the 1800’s but its mass production began in the 1950’s and has since taken off around the globe. While it is possible to recycle most types of plastic, it is estimated that only about 25% of plastics are recycled worldwide. A great deal of the plastic ends up in our oceans, [...]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its partners are working together on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). Part of NRDA’s charge is to evaluate the long term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on dolphins in the Gulf. One of the studies, conducted in August 2011, focused on dolphins in Barataria Bay [...]
It began in December 2013, when 51 pilot whales were found stranded in Everglades National Park. Seven were found dead and four were euthanized. Eleven of the pod swam 70 miles and died leaving 29 unaccounted for. About a month later, 8 pilot whales were reported dead near Lover’s Key and two days later 25 [...]
From New York State to North Carolina 357 dead or dying bottlenose dolphins have washed ashore since July 1st, the largest number of deaths in a quarter century. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared the die offs to be an unusual mortality event and released funds for an investigation. NOAA says the [...]
The Indian River Lagoon is located on Florida’s east coast. It is a shallow water estuary that has one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. It stretches across 40 percent of Florida’s east coast, spanning 156 miles that contain more than 600 species of fish and more than 300 kinds of birds. It [...]
The Gulf of Mexico’s wildlife and wetlands are still recovering from the massive oil spill that occurred three years ago when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. The incident, the worst of its kind in U. S. history, killed eleven workers and spilled 200 million gallons of oil. The spill affected hundreds of miles of [...]
Over the past two months, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has documented three dolphins that have been struck by boats. Two of the dolphins were recently born calves. Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program has also recovered several large sea turtles that had been struck by boats. These incidents offer a strong reminder that we share our [...]
