Cadmium Accumulation and Toxicity in The Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus, The Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis, and Some Dolphin Prey Species in South Australia.

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
M. Long ◽  
R.J. Reid ◽  
C.M. Kemper

Twenty Tursiops truncatus and 20 Delphinus delphis from South Australia were analysed for cadmium levels, as were some fish and squid species which form part of their diet. In the dolphins, cadmium was accumulated mainly in the kidneys (range 0-38 μg/g), with levels in many individuals exceeding 20 μg/g (wet weight). On average, levels in kidney were three-fold higher than in liver and 26-fold higher than in muscle. Cadmium concentrations related to dolphin body length, but the relationship with tooth development class was less clear. 80% of the prey fish species analysed from Spencer Gulf exceeded NH & MRC health recommendations of 0.2 μg/g (wet weight) for human consumption. Sepioteuthis australis from upper Spencer Gulf contained significantly higher cadmium levels than Ceduna samples (0.21 ± 0.01 μg/g versus 0.13 ± 0.01 μg/g, p<0.001) (wet weight). On histological examination, 32% of adult dolphin kidneys showed pathological changes, proteinuria being the most common abnormality. High levels of cadmium were found in dolphins from widely spaced locations in South Australia.

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Filby ◽  
Mike Bossley ◽  
Karen A. Stockin

Common dolphins are subject to large-scale fishing activity and tourism operations in South Australia; however, there is a paucity of data on this species. Understanding the behaviour of a population can contribute greatly to our knowledge of a species and how to manage potential population-level threats. This paper describes the behaviour of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in Australian waters for the first time. Data were collected from 109 independent dolphin groups during boat-based surveys conducted in Gulf St Vincent, South Australia, between September 2005 and May 2008. Activity budgets were used to assess behaviour of common dolphins in relation to diel patterns, season, water depth, sea surface temperature (SST), group size and composition. Foraging (33.9%) and resting (2.8%) were the most and least frequently observed behaviours, respectively. Travelling (33.0%), socialising (20.2%) and milling (10.1%) accounted for the remainder of the activity budget. Diurnal differences were detected, with foraging (59.5%) and socialising (31.8%) groups most frequently observed from 10.00 to 11.59 hours. Behaviour did not vary seasonally or with water depth, SST, group size or composition. Behaviour varied significantly between single- and multispecies aggregations. Foraging was more frequent in multispecies aggregations, as 78.4% of all foraging behaviour observed for common dolphins occurred in the presence of other species. Multispecies aggregations were most frequently observed with flesh-footed shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes), which were present during 29.4% of common dolphin encounters. Behaviour varied significantly during aggregations with shearwaters, as 62.2% of foraging groups occurred in the presence of shearwaters. Resting, milling or socialising was rarely observed in the presence of any other species, indicating that the primary mechanism for aggregations is likely prey-related.


2002 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 300-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoitsa Maniou ◽  
O Caryl Wallis ◽  
Michael Wallis

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Kemper ◽  
A Flaherty ◽  
SE Gibbs ◽  
M Hill ◽  
M Long ◽  
...  

This study summarizes 660 events involving captured, live-stranded and dead cetaceans in South Australia between 1881 and 2000. Emphasis is placed on records (n = 361) during 1985-2000 when an active necropsy programme was underway. Average number of events per year was 30.4 and the most common species were the short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). Records were assigned to nine categories of circumstance/cause of death. Summarizing the total database, 60% were unknown circumstance, 22% not obviously anthropogenic, 13% unintentional human-related and 5% intentional human-related. In the data set of records for 1985-2000, 50% were unknown, 25% were not obviously anthropogenic, 20% were unintentional humanrelated and 5% were intentional killings. Non-anthropogenic circumstances included neonatal deaths, live strandings, significant diseases, shark attacks and choking. Cornynebacterium ulcerans is recorded for the first time in a cetacean. Unintentional circumstances included entanglement in fishing and aquaculture equipment (17% of necropsied carcasses from 1985-2000) and boat strikes. Intentional human-related circumstances were captures for live display and illegal killing. Five percent of the necropsied carcasses during 1985-2000 were attributed to shootings or stabbings/spearings. There is need for a formal reporting procedure for marine mammal deaths and human interaction involving injury and for steps to be taken to reduce human impacts.


Author(s):  
P. L. Pascoe

INTRODUCTIONThe laboratory at Plymouth was notified of the capture of five dolphins in a commercial trawl on 9 December 1982, three of the specimens were living and therefore immediately released. The remaining two were brought to the laboratory, identified as Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758, their size and sex were recorded and the stomachs removed for examination of their contents. The exact location of capture was not recorded, but is known to be within 40 miles of Plymouth.Reports of strandings of D. delphis collected by the British Museum (Natural History), (Harmer, 1914–27; Fraser, 1934, 1946, 1953, 1974) and more recent recorded sightings (Evans, 1980) show that the common dolphin is clearly not rare in British waters. Although the species has been recorded off all British coasts, sightings and strandings are concentrated off the south and south-west coasts of Britain and Ireland. The variation in their numbers and distribution both during this century and on a seasonal basis each year has been accounted for mainly by the fluctuation and movement of their food supply (Evans, 1980; Sheldrick, 1976).


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.-S. Koh ◽  
P. C. Bansemer ◽  
A. B. Frensham

Summary. A survey to assess the extent of cadmium accumulation in South Australian cattle was undertaken in 1989–91. Of the 8635 cattle sampled, about 12% of the kidney samples and 1% of the liver samples contained cadmium concentrations above the maximum permitted concentration for human consumption of 2.5 mg/kg wet weight for kidney and 1.25 mg/kg wet weight for liver. None of the 262 muscle samples assayed contained cadmium concentrations above the maximum permitted concentration of 0.2 mg/kg wet weight. There was a significant effect of location, gender and season on the extent of non-compliance. Of the regions examined, non-compliance rates for Kangaroo Island, Lower Eyre, South East and Lower Central were significantly higher than for the other regions. In general, non-compliance rates were higher in female cattle than in male cattle, increased with age and were lowest in spring. After adjustment for these factors, non-compliance rates were similar across farm types, namely dairy, beef and feedlot. Although there was a significant correlation between cadmium concentrations in liver and in whole kidney, the confidence limit was considered excessive, rendering liver cadmium values an unreliable predictor of cadmium values in kidney.


2018 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Churchill ◽  
Jacob Miguel ◽  
Brian L Beatty ◽  
Anjali Goswami ◽  
Jonathan H Geisler

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