LML Stranding Network

On June 4th and 5th, Marine mammal stranding responders from the Marine Mammal Stranding Networks at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory and San Jose State’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in partnership with the City of Pacific Grove, CA State Parks, Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, NOAA Fisheries, and other local partners worked closely to respond to 2 reported Humpback Whales discovered less than 10 miles apart in Monterey Bay.

🐋 The first whale stranded dead on a sensitive beach in Pacific Grove, while a second juvenile humpback whale was then discovered dead in Watsonville the following day.
The two young male whales showed no obvious signs of vessel strikes or other species-caused mortality (orca etc.)
The first whale in Pacific Grove had a confirmed Happy Whale ID (HW-MN0504057) while the Watsonville whale ID is pending.

🦠 After testing f***l contents, both whales tested positive with Domoic Acid (a neurotoxin produced by Harmful Algal Blooms- HABs) in their system. Learn more about Domoic Acid and HABs through the Marine Mammal Center’s website as well as the CDC website.

⭐️ We appreciate the public’s patience and cooperation as responders work to safely manage these strandings, protect sensitive coastal habitats, and advance our understanding of the challenges facing whale populations along the West Coast.

☎️ Report any dead marine species in Santa Cruz County to our hotline (831)212-1272.

On Monday, May 6th, 2024, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) received reports of a stranded whale along the 17-mile Drive in Monterey County, California. This Gray whale was found in a cove on the property of a private residence and after gaining approval from property owners, our colleagues at MLML and our staff from Long Marine Lab went to collect Level A data and samples. This whale was a 13-meter-long female that had blubber depths from 5cm to 15cm, depending on the location on its body. Check out our previous video to see more footage of this whale! If you would like to report a dead marine mammal in Santa Cruz County, call (831) 212-1272. All work is done under a letter of authorization for the Long Marine Lab’s Stranding Network under NOAA.

Sometimes, when someone calls us at (831) 212-1272 about a fresh marine mammal carcass, it is not possible to transport the carcass to our necropsy facility. In these scenarios, a beach necropsy is required in order to determine a cause of death. Members of the Long Marine Lab Stranding Network conduct a thorough external and internal examination of the animal on the sand, noting any abnormalities and collecting samples along the way. Tissue samples are collected both for histology tests and to add to our bank for future reference for research projects. Help support our beach necropsies by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

Today, we highlight a pinniped case study! The California sea lion pictured was found stranded on Sunset State Beach on May 11th, 2019, with a suspected gunshot wound on the left side of the face. It was brought back to the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, where radiographs were taken, indicating there were bullet fragments in the skull (slide 1). The animal was then transferred to the Long Marine Lab (LML) on June 19th, 2019, where it was thawed for necropsy. The external exam concluded that this male California sea lion was a subadult measuring 146 cm and weighing 51.1kg. It appeared to be in good health besides the external wound on the left side of the face, just ventral to the left ear (slide 2). The internal exam indicated that the extensive trauma to the left side of the head resulted in the left eye being pierced and the skull fractured. A bullet fragment was found during the internal exam (slide 3), allowing LML to rule "Human Interaction '' as the cause of death. California sea lions are the most common pinniped strandings locally. Help support future case studies by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

Survey Slugs is an early career field research experience for undergraduate students. The mission of the Survey Slug program is to collect data about stranded marine mammal carcasses and marine debris in Santa Cruz and Monterey County. These data are being used to understand two key questions: 1) how does the reporting of stranded animals differ from actual strandings temporally and geographically throughout Monterey Bay, and 2) what are the types, amounts, and temporal and geographic patterns of marine debris on Monterey Bay beaches? Teams of undergraduate students led by Long Marine Lab Stranding volunteers survey eight beaches in Santa Cruz and Monterey County monthly. These surveys provide opportunities for undergraduate students to experience real data collection in the field, learn more about the local community in which they are living, make an impactful contribution to cleaning up marine debris, meet and work with other students who are similarly interested in marine science, and develop a relationship with a mentor working in a science field. Help support our Survey Slugs program by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

Skulls for Schools is a proposed initiative by the Long Marine Lab Stranding Network to bring marine science to local K-12 classrooms. We have a well-established library of marine mammal skulls and fur, which we aim to use to inspire the next generation of scientists to be passionate about conservation, anatomy, and physiology. We plan to partner with Santa Cruz County school districts with our curriculum, which meets NGSS standards to get students excited about marine mammal health. Help support our Skulls for Schools initiative by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

When someone calls us at (831) 212-1272 about a fresh marine mammal carcass, members of the Long Maring Lab Stranding Network respond by collecting data on the carcass at the beach and then bringing it back to our necropsy facility. Carcasses are often frozen in order for the necropsy to be performed at a later date. The main goal of any necropsy is to determine the cause of death of the animal through a detailed external and internal examination, domoic acid checks, and histology tests. Often, we open our necropsy facility to interested university and high school classes and organizations for educational purposes. These groups are provided with a unique opportunity to deepen their anatomy and physiology knowledge. Help support our necropsy demonstrations by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

The Long Marine Lab Stranding Network is proud to host undergraduate interns individually during the academic year and, for the summer, partnered with the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-Based Opportunities (CAMINO) program. Interns in this lab participate in all stranding-related activities such as necropsies, Survey Slug beach surveys, and lab meetings. Interns are asked to investigate research project questions based on an extensive longitudinal data set previously created, as well as data collected specifically for their project. In addition to individual projects, interns work alongside the stranding technicians, responding to stranding calls, collecting data, and organizing the Survey Slug program. Past intern projects have included an investigation into the “Leading Cause of Death in Marine Mammal Strandings from 2017 to 2022” (Ramirez et al., 2023) and “A Four Year Look into the Effects of Marine Debris Mitigation in the Monterey Bay of California” (Fernandez Pacheco et al., 2023). Help support our interns by donating during this Spring Give through April 12. https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762

The volunteers of the Long Marine Lab Stranding Network are a vital part of our response to dead marine mammals in Santa Cruz county. Our volunteers, many being undergraduate students at UCSC, are motivated individuals passionate about marine mammals that have commited to at least a year of volunteer work. They gain research experience by assisting in stranding response, data collection, and even necropsies. When someone calls us at (831) 212-1272 about a marine mammal carcass, our volunteers go to the beach to collect data that informs science and conservation. When the carcass is fresh dead, our volunteers carry the mammal off the beach to bring back to lab for necropsy. We are so grateful for the dedication and excitement of our volutneers and for their committment to ocean health. Help us continue our stranding response by donating during this Spring Give through April 12.
https://givingday.ucsc.edu/giving-day/88695/department/88762