In the past two decades, we have observed that harmful algal blooms, or red tides, of the toxic algal species Karenia brevis appear to have varying effects on bottlenose dolphin populations. Red tides have been associated with several large-scale mortality events of dolphins in the Florida Panhandle, whereas dolphin populations in central-west Florida, including Sarasota [...]

I have been very lucky to participate once again in the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, but this time working on my senior thesis, which will allow me to get my degree when I go back to Argentina. I’ve always been attracted to how a simple algal cell could cause such a big change in the [...]

My interest in marine species and the marine environment began when I started volunteering at The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) in 1991, where I was first exposed to the impact that disease can have on marine mammal species. I returned to TMMC a decade later, as their first veterinary intern, after earning my veterinary degree [...]

Estuaries are highly productive and ecologically rich areas that are important habitats for fish and bird species. Over the past few decades, the frequency and duration of harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing globally in coastal areas. HABs, especially those caused by the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, occur frequently along Florida’s west coast, [...]

Deborah Fauquier, DVM, has been named as a finalist for a prestigious Marine Policy Fellowship offered by the National Sea Grant College Program. Deb, is already a marine mammal veternarian, and she led the vet team during the 2010 dolphin health assessments in Sarasota Bay. Read more about her life as a marine mammal vet [...]

Social behavior, activity budgets and ranging behavior of juvenile bottlenose dolphins change during red tides. They spend less time alone, and they associate in larger, less stable groups, that include a greater diversity of companions. Harmful algae blooms, called red tides in Florida contain neurotoxins which impact prey fish abundance  and potentially dolphin health. New [...]

Algae blooms contain neurotoxins that may have chronic effects on the health of bottlenose dolphins. The dinoflagellate Karenia brevis produces neurotoxic brevetoxins, which are known to be harmful to aquatic organisms and humans (as well as local economies). Known as “Florida red tide,” wave action may cause K. brevis cells to burst, releasing the toxins [...]

By Mike Twiner, PhD, University of Michigan and Spencer Fire, PhD, NOAA Marine Biotoxins Program Marine sentinel species such as bottlenose dolphins can be negatively impacted by toxic compounds produced by naturally occurring phytoplankton (single-celled marine algae). The Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphin population is frequently exposed to toxic blooms of the marine algae Karenia brevis [...]