The Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program

1992 amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) created the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP). National Marine Fisheries Service has legal jurisdiction over Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), seals, and sea lions. The Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over manatees, sea otters, walruses, and polar bears.

Components of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program
• Authorized Stranding Networks
• Response and Investigations of Unusual Mortality Events (UME)
• Biomonitoring
• Tissue and Serum Banking
• Analytical Quality Assurance

What Are Strandings?

Under the MMPA Section 409.3, a stranding is defined as an event in the wild where:

A marine mammal is dead and is:

• On a beach or shore of the United States; or
• In waters under the jurisdiction of the United States (including any navigable waters); or

A marine mammal is alive and is:

• On a beach or shore of the United States and unable to return to the water;
• On a beach or shore of the United States and, although able to return to the water, is in apparent need of medical attention; or
• In the waters under the jurisdiction of the United States (including any navigable waters), but is unable to return to its natural habitat under its own power or without assistance.

Why are Strandings Important?

Research

Marine mammals can be very challenging to study in the wild. Strandings allow researchers to study the following:

• Diet
• Lifespan
• Reproduction
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Contaminant accumluation (PCB, DDT, etc.)
• Biotoxins (brevetoxin, saxitoxin, domoic acid, etc.)
• Diseases (viral, bacterial, cancer)
• Parasitology

Management

Strandings are an important tool to document human interactions (such as boat collisions or entanglements) and to monitor the health of marine mammal poplulaitons. Both of which can be useful with making important management decisions

Ecosystem Sentinels

Since marine mammals are apex predators, have long lifespans, and bioaccumulate various toxins in their blubber; they are useful for monitoring the health of the marine ecosystem. By monitoring and studying strandings, threats to humans and the environment that normally would have been overlooked can be identified.

Why do marine mammals strand?

Researchers and stranding network memebers cannot always determine a cause for strandings, however some strandings have been determined to have been caused by the following:

• Natural diseases or parasitic infestations
• Harmful algal bloom biotoxins
• Injuries from human interactions
• Pollution exposure
• Trauma
• Starvation
• Unusual weather events

For more information please vistit:

Office of Protected Resources - Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program

NOAA Fisheries - Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Florida Strandings here

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