The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (established in 1978) is a private non-profit organization located in Brigantine, New Jersey. The Stranding Center's main goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. They are the only marine stranding center in New Jersey. Since 1978, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center has rescued more than 5,589 whales, dolphins, seals, and sea turtles. Although rehabilitation is costly, over 90% of the animals rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center make a full recovery and are returned to the wild. As well as dealing with marine animal issues, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center operates a Sea Life Museum, houses an educational facility which includes hands-on exhibits, and offers marine ecology-based educational programs. The Stranding Center also offers internship programs..
Natural infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been documented in over 60 animal species, some distantly related. Several marine mammals have been predicted as highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the homology of their ACE2 receptors to those of humans. To assess potential exposure of marine mammals to SARS-CoV-2, we conducted an opportunistic survey from 2020 to 2025 and tested 1,808 swabs and 378 serum samples from 21 marine mammal species in the United States. All the swabs tested by RT-qPCR were negative, indicating the absence of active infection. A low level of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies was detected in three pinniped species, including Phoca vitulina (harbor seal, 13.6%, 95% CI: 5.2-27.4%), Zalophus californianus (California sea lion, 7%, 95% CI: 1.9-17.0%), and Halichoerus grypus (grey seal, 3.7%, 95% CI: 0.5-12.7%). These findings represent the first serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in marine mammals in the United States, highlighting the need for continued monitoring of these populations and further research on SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in wildlife.
Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) exhibit maternally driven fidelity to feeding grounds, and yet occasionally occupy new areas. Humpback whale sightings and mortalities in the New York Bight apex (NYBA) have been increasing over the last decade, providing an opportunity to study this phenomenon in an urban habitat. Whales in this area overlap with human activities, including busy shipping traffic leading into the Port of New York and New Jersey. The site fidelity, population composition and demographics of individual whales were analysed to better inform management in this high-risk area. Whale watching and other opportunistic data collections were used to identify 101 individual humpback whales in the NYBA from spring through autumn, 2012–2018. Although mean occurrence was low (2.5 days), mean occupancy was 37.6 days, and 31.3% of whales returned from one year to the next. Individuals compared with other regional and ocean-basin-wide photo-identification catalogues (N = 52) were primarily resighted at other sites along the US East Coast, including the Gulf of Maine feeding ground. Sightings of mother-calf pairs were rare in the NYBA, suggesting that maternally directed fidelity may not be responsible for the presence of young whales in this area. Other factors including shifts in prey species distribution or changes in population structure more broadly should be investigated.
This retrospective study used data obtained from medical records of 530 stranded free-ranging harbor ( Phoca vitulina ), grey ( Halichoerus grypus ), harp ( Pagophilus groenlandicus ), and hooded seals ( Cystophora cristata ) presented to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey from January 1998 through December 2016. The objective was to identify hematological and plasma biochemical parameters of seals at time of presentation that were associated with successful rehabilitation and with duration of hospitalization using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. At presentation, animals that subsequently survived rehabilitation had greater alkaline phosphatase activity and absolute lymphocyte and total calcium concentrations and lower blood urea nitrogen, sodium, chloride, phosphorus, and total bilirubin concentrations and lower aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities than animals that eventually died or were euthanized while under care. Results suggest that young, actively growing animals are more likely to survive rehabilitation and that bloodwork consistent with dehydration, systemic disease, and exhaustion are negative prognostic indicators. These results provide prognostic indicators that may aid clinical decision-making for seals presented for rehabilitation.
Understanding marine animal stranding patterns can aid rehabilitation efforts and evaluations of ecosystem health. The goal of this retrospective study was to identify factors associated with outcome of marine animals presented to a rehabilitation facility in Brigantine, New Jersey, USA. Records of 4819 phocids, cetaceans, and sea turtles were reviewed. Taxa, age, sex, season, and outcome (natural death, euthanasia, transfer to another facility, and successful release) were recorded for each case. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify predictors associated with release, and a multivariate logistic regression model was developed to evaluate whether the association between taxa and chance of release persisted after adjustment for the other variables. Phocids were most likely to strand during winter. Phocids and sea turtles that stranded alive were more likely to be released than to die under care or be euthanized. Taxa, age, and season were all significantly associated with the probability of release. These results provide a reference for phocid, cetacean, and sea turtle stranding and rehabilitation in part of the mid-Atlantic region. Critical evaluation of wildlife rehabilitation is indicated to audit the success of efforts and to assess threats to free-ranging populations.
Marine Mammal ScienceVolume 34, Issue 1 p. 250-257 Notes Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sightings in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Danielle M. Brown, Corresponding Author Danielle M. Brown dbrown38@gmu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-8560-0464 Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030 U.S.A.Corresponding author (e-mail: dbrown38@gmu.edu). Search for more papers by this authorJooke Robbins, Jooke Robbins Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 02657 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorPaul L. Sieswerda, Paul L. Sieswerda Gotham Whale, 10 Bay Street Landing A5G, Staten Island, New York, 10301 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorRobert Schoelkopf, Robert Schoelkopf Marine Mammal Stranding Center, 3625 Brigantine Boulevard, Brigantine, New Jersey, 08203 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorE. C. M. Parsons, E. C. M. Parsons Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author Danielle M. Brown, Corresponding Author Danielle M. Brown dbrown38@gmu.edu orcid.org/0000-0002-8560-0464 Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030 U.S.A.Corresponding author (e-mail: dbrown38@gmu.edu). Search for more papers by this authorJooke Robbins, Jooke Robbins Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 02657 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorPaul L. Sieswerda, Paul L. Sieswerda Gotham Whale, 10 Bay Street Landing A5G, Staten Island, New York, 10301 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorRobert Schoelkopf, Robert Schoelkopf Marine Mammal Stranding Center, 3625 Brigantine Boulevard, Brigantine, New Jersey, 08203 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorE. C. M. Parsons, E. C. M. Parsons Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030 U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author First published: 29 November 2017 https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12450Citations: 13Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume34, Issue1January 2018Pages 250-257 RelatedInformation
