Join us for a 5 part seminar series entitled “Overview of Oil Spill Impacts on Cetaceans” from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration.

Presenters: Dr. Lori Schwacke, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Chief Scientist Conservation Medicine; Dr. Len Thomas, University of St. Andrews, Professor of Statistics; Dr. Cynthia Smith, National Marine Mammal Foundation, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer

Abstract: A decade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Barataria Bay dolphins are far from recovery. We have monitored the population since the spill through health assessment and photo-ID studies. Disease conditions persist in dolphins presumably exposed to oil; those born post-spill are in better health. We used expert elicitation to quantify implications for demography and integrated this and new information into a population dynamics model. Our refined analyses suggest that the population is likely at a minimum point in its trajectory, with a 2019 model abundance estimate supporting this degree of decline. We also examine how the population trajectory may change with a planned restoration project that is likely to significantly degrade dolphin habitat.

About the Series: This 5 part seminar series will summarize studies conducted on marine mammals affected by the Deepwater Horizon incident and include discussions of short- and long- term health effects, reproductive failure, and evaluation of population status for nearshore and offshore cetaceans, and an overview of oil toxicity across vertebrate species.

For more details visit our upcoming seminars page here: https://libguides.library.noaa.gov/seminars/upcoming