The highest concentrations of PCBs ever reported in a marine mammal were found in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins near a Brunswick, GA Superfund site. New research compared contaminant concentrations of dolphins in three areas, including one with a Superfund site on the shoreline. Dolphins near the Superfund site had record contaminant levels, while dolphins [...]

Dolphins near a Georgia Superfund site suffer from anemia, hypothyroidism, and suppressed immune function. In a coastal area contaminated by a Superfund site, a newly published study reports that endocrine system disruptors, in the form of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), may be highly concentrated in the blubber of dolphins. This research is important, because 26% of [...]

New research shows a better way to attach transmitter-tags to the dorsal fins of dolphins. The 2011 publication by SDRP Post-Doctoral Scientist Dr. Brian Balmer and others, describes tests of a new attachment design. This is an important development, because satellite-linked transmitters are useful to provide movement information that has conservation and management implications for [...]

Dolphins accumulate pollutants in their blubber. Bottlenose dolphins are thus a sensitive indicator for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in coastal ecosystems. Brian C. Balmer, a long time member of the SDRP team, just completed his doctoral work. His research examined the effect of pollution from a Superfund site in Georgia on bottlenose dolphins. Congratulations to [...]

By Brian Balmer, MS, PhD Student, Chicago Zoological Society and University of North Carolina Wilmington Bottlenose dolphins are apex predators in coastal southeastern U.S. waters, and as such can be sensitive indicators of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in coastal ecosystems. The concentrations of POPs and patterns of specific compounds measured in a dolphin’s blubber are [...]

The use of these new and innovative tools in conjunction with conventional radio tracking techniques increases our ability to assess fine scale spatial distribution of marine mammals.

Health endpoints in relation to legacy and emerging contaminants examined for 29 dolphins.

For my dissertation, I am working with NOAA to compare bottlenose dolphin populations near EPA superfund sites in Georgia to those at a nearby national estuarine reserve. The Turtle/Brunswick River Estuary (TBRE) located in Glynn County, Georgia, includes the Turtle and Brunswick Rivers, St. Simons Sound, St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island. The LCP Chemical [...]