Sea Mammal Research Unit

RSPCA nursing benefits seals

2011-11-03T00:00:00

Injured seals nursed back to life by the RSPCA have as good a chance of surviving when sent back into the wild as their healthy peers, according to new research.

The study, in collaboration with scientists at the University of St Andrews, proves for the first time that rehab programmes for seals work.

The research was carried out in collaboration by staff at the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre and scientists from the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews.

It involved recovering seals being sent back into the wild with tracking equipment – similar to a stethoscope – that enabled researchers to measure their breath capacity whilst diving, much the same as NHS patients being sent home with heart monitors.

The study conclusively shows that rehabilitated common harbour seals return to the wild without any adverse effects, and can swim and dive just as well as normal healthy wild seals.

Alison Charles, manager at East Winch Wildlife Centre, said: “We have always done everything possible to return sick and injured seals back into the wild, and give them the best chance of survival once released, but until now we have never had the scientific evidence to back this work up.

“The RSPCA funded this vital research because we felt it was really important to show people that these seals deserve a second chance and that rehabilitation does work.”

The six seals tracked included Skippy, a juvenile harbour seal washed up at a Norfolk beach, underweight and with multiple infected wounds on her neck and hind flippers. After 155 days of treatment, she was released and monitored using the satellite tracking devices developed by Dr Bernie McConnell at the University of St Andrews.

The satellite transmitter, glued to the fur on the back of the necks of six rehabilitated harbour seals, could not only keep track of whether they were alive but also for the first time allowed experts to remotely monitor the seals’ health. The transmitters are usually lost when the seals moult.

For around six months following release, data was collected by scientists monitoring trends in the diving ability of the recovered seals – a clear indication on how fit they were. The data was then compared to the dive patterns of five wild adult harbour seals, to see if there were any differences between their dives.

Alison continued, “Previous research had always shown that seals did survive after release, but it never gave an indication as to how well they were surviving and coping.

“Through this study we can clearly see that our rehabilitated seals could dive just as well as wild seals and this was a clear indicator of their health and strength when back in the open waters.”

The findings also found that the rehabilitated seal pups travelled significant distances once they were released.

Dr McConnell, a senior research fellow at St Andrews, has been monitoring the movement and behaviour of marine mammals, from the Antarctic to the Arctic, for over 25 years. He commented, “The important finding here is that on release all rehabilitated animals immediately demonstrated diving capabilities that persisted during their tracking periods. This behaviour was similar to the diving capabilities of apparently healthy adult seals.

“While we assume that the debilitated seals were released in an apparently healthy condition, there could be concern that captivity per se could impair dive capability. However, we find that this is not the case.

“There was no statistically significant difference between the behaviour of rehabilitated seals and healthy adult seals, indicating no evidence that short-term survival was less in the rehabilitated group.”

Case study – Skippy

Skippy was one of the six tracked juvenile hand-reared Harbour seals monitored in this study. Skippy was rescued from the beach at Bacton, Norfolk on 18/09/2003 and weighed only 12.5kg.
She arrived at noon, and was then checked over by a vet and it was revealed that she had an ulcerated hard palate, multiple infected wounds on her neck and hind flippers and was thin.
For the first 24 hours she had 400mls of Lectade (oral rehydration solution) every three hours by stomach tube.
During the next 24hrs – 40omls of ¼ fish soup (liquidised herring, multivitamins and Lectade) and ¾ Lectade every three hours.
During the next 24hrs ½ and ½ fish soup and Lectade every three hours.
Then for the next 24hrs are ¾ fish soup and ¼ Lectade then finally onto full fish soup.
Once she was onto full fish soup East Winch wildlife centre staff slowly introduced herring, first by force feeding them and then by offering her them by hand to allow her to eat them on her own.
She was then moved from her own isolation cubicle, and was put in with Hercules to give her company. She was then moved to an intermediate pool to allow her access to a shallow pool at all times. As she improved and gained weight she was moved to a deeper outside pool with four more seals to exercise and gain fitness in preparation for release.
She was released into the Wash on the 20/02/2004 with Shrek and Nemo. She had 155 days of hospitalisation and when she was released she weighed 32kg.

Dr Bernie McConnell is available for interview on 07764 161 891
Contact the RSPCA Press Office (East) on 0300 123 8404

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2011/Title,76702,en.html

Grey seal personalities affect pups

2011-11-25T00:00:00

Grey seals have different types of personality that affect the extent to which they guard and care for their young, according to new research.

Researchers Dr Patrick Pomeroy (University of St Andrews, SMRU) and Dr Sean Twiss (Durham University) found seal mothers were often unpredictable and adopted a wide variation of mothering styles. Some were attentive to their pups while others were not and the study shows, for the first time, the extent of personality differences in marine mammals in the wild, as well as how individual animals have differing behavioural styles and how they may be limited in their ability to respond to different environments.

The researchers said the findings could have benefits for future conservation policy, habitat management and reveals new information about the process of evolution.

University of St Andrews honoured for work of the Sea Mammal Research Unit

2011-11-25T00:00:00

The University of St Andrews is one of 18 universities and 3 further education colleges to win highest national honours as winners of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education, and has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of the work of the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU).

The Anniversary Prizes, biennial awards which sit within the national honours system, are the most prestigious form of recognition open to academic institutions in the UK. The Prizes recognise and celebrate outstanding work within UK higher and further education institutions and the impact that they have. The winning entries represent individual departments or research groups, major international development projects, community schemes and vocational programmes and the application of cutting-edge research.

The Sea Mammal Research Unit, based at East Sands, is a world-leading centre in applied research. Its academic staff and teams of postgraduate students use innovative monitoring techniques to track the effect that human exploitation of the oceans has upon marine mammals, and particularly upon seals, whales and dolphins. As the consequences of this exploitation become ever more apparent, research undertaken at SMRU makes a vital contribution to the formation of national policies. SMRU also plays an active role in the promotion of best practice in the health and governance of the ocean environment.

http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/

St Andrews scientists ask if whales have 'dialects'

2011-11-30T00:00:00

Members of the public are being asked by scientists at the University of St Andrews to help them investigate the way whales communicate. The university's Sea Mammal Research Unit is part of the Whale Project: a global effort to categorise whale calls, co-sponsored by the science magazine Scientific American.

So-called "citizen scientists" from across the world are being urged to listen to and help classify sounds made by the mammals and it aims to establish whether calls vary between different groups of whales. "Citizen scientists" who log on are presented with a whale call and shown where it was recorded on a map of the world's oceans and seas. After listening to the whale call, members of the public are then asked to listen to a number of potential matching calls from the project's database.

If a match is found the results are stored.

Prof Peter Tyack of the University of St Andrews said: "By asking hundreds of people to make similar judgements, we will learn how reliable the categories are, and they get the fun of hearing these amazing sounds." Only a few researchers have categorised whale calls and scientists hope to address a number of questions about whale communication.

For more information or to take part in the project go to the Scientific American website to set up a login and password:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/11/29/sounds-of-the-deep-scientific-american-launches-citizen-science-project-to-id-whale-calls/

SMRU Awarded Queen's Anniversary Prize

2011-11-27T00:00:00

The University of St Andrews has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of the work of a world-leading research unit which is helping to further understanding and protection of the oceans.

The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews is among the winners in the Diamond Jubilee Round of The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education.

The Anniversary Prizes, which recognise excellence in higher education and research, were announced at a reception at St James Palace, London, on Thursday 24 November 2011.

The Sea Mammal Research Unit has become a world leader in applied research promoting best practice in the health and governance of the ocean environment. Based at the East Sands, St Andrews, the Unit is part of the University’s School of Biology and Scottish Oceans Institute. It operates from the tropics to the poles and maintains a particular focus on the UK’s seas. Its academic staff and graduate team specialise in research on marine mammals - primarily seals, whales and dolphins – using innovative monitoring techniques.

The sea mammals which SMRU monitor provide a unique and sensitive early warning system to track and measure a range of factors concerned with the sustainability of human exploitation of the seas.

With the scale and nature of industrial exploitation of the oceans rapidly developing, there is increasing demand for and impact of SMRU’s services, and its contribution to national policies.

Professor Ian Boyd, Director of the Unit, and University Chancellor Sir Menzies Campbell, were at St James Palace to hear the announcement. Professor Boyd said:

“Marine mammals are a bit like the canary in the cage. If we know how to read their behaviour and populations we can minimise the effect of our resource exploitation on the ocean. Although we need to exploit the ocean we also need to find ways of doing this sustainably. Marine mammals have a capacity to tell us when we are reaching the limits.

“My colleagues and I are delighted that our institution has been recognised in this way. It is truly a privilege to work with such magnificent animals and to have the job of translating their importance into information that the public can use. We also recognise that the institute is a hub in a global network of scientists and collaborators who share our passion for understanding these enigmatic creatures.”

Full Press Release

More about the Queen's Anniversary Prizes

Deadly diving: how bubbles can drive marine mammals round ‘the bends’

2011-12-21T00:00:00

A new study has found that whales and seals could suffer from the same sickness experienced by human divers.

The research, led by scientists at the University of St Andrews, compiled evidence showing that marine mammals displayed signs of suffering from the diving sickness known as ‘the bends’.

Until now, it has been contentious as to whether cetaceans could suffer from the disorientating sickness that can cause everything from skin rashes to death in extreme cases in humans.

The new study published today (Wednesday 21 December) provides evidence of bubble formation in the bodies of beached whales and seals that suggests the potential for decompression sickness, caused by the pressure experienced during deep sea diving.

The research also suggests that excessive human noise, such as exposure to military sonar, might cause disorientation in marine mammals, leading to them losing their natural defences and to succumb to the bends rather than avoid them.

Lead researcher Dr Sascha Hooker of the University of St Andrews commented, “Decompression sickness, commonly known as 'the bends' is a serious problem for human divers, but the jury has been out as to whether marine mammals could get the bends or if it would be as serious for them.

“Unfortunately the technology doesn’t yet exist to measure what is going on physiologically inside a free-living whale during its descent to depths of over 1000 metres.

“However, our review of recent work on marine mammal diving physiology leads us to the conclusion that there may be the potential for them to suffer from the bends in the same way that humans do.”

The clue to ‘the bends’ taking hold is the appearance of bubbles in the bodies of marine mammals that are caused by an increase in levels of nitrogen in the blood and body tissue.

The research involved a team of experts from diverse fields including human diving medics, veterinary pathologists and experts in comparative animal anatomy, physiology, ecology and behavior.

Dr Hooker and fellow researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, reviewed both acute and chronic cases of bubble formation, including bubbles in the major organs of beaked whales that had beached following exposure to sonar; bubbles in the kidney and liver region of mass stranded dolphins, and bubbles in the tissue of bycaught dolphins and seals.

Examining the mechanisms thought to prevent diving injury in marine mammals, Dr Hooker and her colleagues showed that these are likely to be much more changeable than previously thought.

Dr Hooker concluded, “Our findings change the way we think about how marine mammals manage the problems of pressure when deep sea diving. The textbooks tell us that seals and whales can tolerate deep dives and rapid ascent without developing the nitrogen load that might lead to the bends. We suggest that this is not the case for all species, and that they may balance their management of nitrogen against other physiological requirements, such as the need for oxygen or the need for circulation to keep warm.

“One concern is that these naturally evolving mechanisms may be stretched by human pressures. An apparent threat to these animals, such as sudden high-levels of noise, could cause them to react; altering their dive trajectory or eliciting a fight-or-flight response – that causes them to exceed their normal coping mechanisms for the prevention of the bends.

“While the bends is rare under normal circumstances, excessive human noise or disturbance may cause a marine mammal to change its diving behaviour in ways that result in serious illness or injury.”

The research is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Sounds Under the Surface

2012-01-03T00:00:00

In a study examining the effects of sound on marine mammals, teams involving researchers from SMRU at the University of St Andrews have attached digital acoustic recording tags to the whales while they were at the surface. The tags record every sound the whale makes along with its movement. In a study lasting two years data was compiled for beaked whales, pilot whales, and melon headed whales.

Every day we are surrounded by noises – from cars and planes, construction sites, and factories. While for most of us it is an annoyance, in some cases it can be harmful.

But have you ever thought about noises in the ocean? There are natural sounds from storms and waves, but also an increasing number of human-made sounds from boats, oil exploration and production, and military sonar.

There is increasing concern that these noises may affect marine animals, especially whales. Scientists want to know whether noises affect basic behaviors in whales, such as diving and feeding. They are also interested in knowing how different types of noises might affect these behaviors. So, an international team of scientists and underwater sound experts conducted a study at a U.S. Navy listening range to try and figure this all out.

With this data, scientists created animations showing the whales behavior before, during, and after being exposed to low levels of a variety of sounds; including sonar. The results showed that beaked whales, which are known for diving to extreme depths, were much more sensitive to sonar than other species. Even low levels of these sounds disrupted their diving, vocal, and likely feeding behaviors.

The results are significant because they show how whales may respond to man-made sounds in the ocean which sometimes lead to thwem being stranded.