Galveston Bay Bottlenose Dolphins Showing Skin Lesions; Post-Harvey Malnutrition Signs Appearing

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Fazioli and her team have been researching dolphins in the upper portion of the Galveston Bay for years and they’ve observed the effects caused when freshwater meets the bay. She says dolphins commonly develop skin lesions, and after Harvey, the symptom became widespread.

“They pretty much can cover their entire body and basically they appear as white splotches, sometimes like a raised growth on their skin,” she says.

She says the team is in the process of learning more about the skin lesions, so there’s a lot they don’t know yet, like whether or not the lesions are painful. Fazioli says the lesions do not affect the dolphins directly unless they are stuck in freshwater for a long time. In these cases, it may cause electrolyte imbalances, severe fungal infections, internal organ damage and, in extreme cases, death.

After Harvey, Fazioli says many dolphins left the bay but the team noticed malnourishment among the dolphins that stayed near the storm. That’s why her team is worried about other non-visible threats the dolphins may be experiencing, like toxic runoff. “One of the main things right now that is important to us is to monitor the population,” she says. “This knowledge is really important to making good management decisions in the future.”

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http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/galvestons-bottlenose-dolphins-have-puzzling-ailments-since-harvey/?_ga=2.55562920.2012429520.1511907829-1741340966.1511907828