Navy provided facilities at the Little Creek Amphibious Base 

 for detailed postmortem examinations of dolphins recovered in 

 the Virginia Beach area as well as other substantial logistic 

 support. In consultation with the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service, the Commission arranged for the Service's laboratory 

 in Charleston, South Carolina, to perform toxicological analy- 

 ses. In addition, the Commission sought the assistance of 

 the Environmental Protection Agency in obtaining information 

 on offshore dump sites, possible illegal dumping, phytoplankton 

 blooms, water movement patterns, and other environmental factors 

 that might provide a clue to the cause of the die-off. 



The multi-disciplinary response team, with funding and 

 administrative support provided by the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service and the Marine Mammal Commission, began its investi- 

 gations in Virginia Beach, Virginia, early in August 1987. 

 From 9 August through 2 September, 8 3 bottlenose dolphin 

 carcasses were recovered from beaches in the area. Gross 

 necropsies were performed on most of the animals, and tissue 

 samples from the freshest animals were collected and sent for 

 testing and analyses to: the National Veterinary Services 

 Laboratory; the Diagnostic Virology Laboratory, Eastern Virginia 

 Medical School; the National Cancer Institute, National 

 Institutes of Health; Virginia Beach General Hospital; and 

 the Charleston, South Carolina, laboratory of the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service. Nearshore and offshore aerial surveys 

 were carried out by National Marine Fisheries Service personnel 

 and contract investigators to locate stranded animals, identify 

 trends in the mortality pattern, and determine the impact of 

 the event on both coastal and offshore dolphin stocks. Aerial 

 observers also attempted to verify reports of dead dolphins 

 floating offshore. 



Because tissues from dead animals were not suitable for 

 doing the full range of analyses necessary to investigate the 

 die-off, live animals were needed to obtain blood and other 

 samples for examination. Therefore, the Commission made 

 arrangements with Sea World, Inc., Orlando, Florida, and 

 provided funds for a team of people experienced in the capture 

 of bottlenose dolphins to assist in capturing live dolphins in 

 the Virginia Beach area. The U.S. Navy transported a net and 

 other equipment from Orlando to Norfolk and provided a boat 

 and crew to assist in the capture operation. Also as a part 

 of this effort, the Commission paid for two small boat charters. 

 Four live dolphins were caught, examined, and subsequently 

 released on 16 August 1987. The sample size was inadequate 

 and an additional 19 animals were captured in the Virginia 

 Beach area from 6-9 October 1987. Blood samples from these 

 animals were analyzed for cell types and characteristics, and 

 serum constituents including electrolytes, metabolites, enzymes, 

 proteins, thyroid and adrenocortical hormones, and viral 

 antibodies. 



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