12 
Fishery Bulletin 1 12(1) 
A 
B 
Harbor porpoises Coastal bottlenose dolphins 
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 
Baleen whales 
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 
Kogia species 
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 
□ Perinatal all (n=179) 
□ Nonperinatal Hi-CBD (n=451) 
□ Nonperinatal Hl-other (n= 26) 
□ Nonperinatal HI-FI (n=168) 
■ Nonperinatal Hl-no (n=121) 
□ Other seals (n= 35) 
■ Harbor seals (n= 73) 
□ K. breviceps (n=47) 
□ K. sima (n= 27) 
■ K. species (n= 2) 
Month 
Month 
Figure 4 
Monthly stranding events in North Carolina during 1997-2008 for (A) harbor porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena), (B) perinatal 
(<125 cm) and nonperinatal (>125 cm) coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), (C) no n-Kogia pelagic odontocetes, 
(D) seals, (E) baleen whales, and (F) Kogia species. Nonperinatal bottlenose dolphins strandings are divided into human 
interaction (HI) categories: HI-CBD (could not be determined), Hl-other (e.g., mutilation, vessel strike), HI-FI (fishery 
interaction), and Hl-no (no evidence of HI). Seals are divided into harbor seals ( Phoca vitulina ) and other seals. Kogia spe- 
cies are divided into pygmy sperm whales ( K . breviceps ), dwarf sperm whales (K. sima), and Kogia whose species were not 
identified. Note that y-axes in the top graphs are at a different scale than that of the other graphs. 
arrived and a Risso’s dolphin that the public tried to 
move when they heard it was going to be euthanized. 
Although cetaceans pushed off the beach were not 
generally classified as Hl-other, these 2 animals were 
classified as Hl-other because of excessive harass- 
ment. Harassment was more common for seals and in- 
cluded instances of the public trying to move or pick 
up the animal (n=4), resulting in one person being 
bitten, and instances where relocation was necessary 
because of persistent disturbance (n= 2). Most of these 
seals were healthy, exhibiting normal haul-out behav- 
ior, and would not otherwise have met the definition 
of stranded. 
Discussion 
Biodiversity 
A diverse array of marine mammal species strand in 
NC, reflecting the rich biodiversity of cetacean and pin- 
niped fauna in nearby waters. Along a coastline of 537 
km (<3 degrees of latitude), strandings included 9 fam- 
ilies and 34 species (29 cetaceans; 4 pinnipeds; 1 man- 
atee), ranging from tropical delphinids to pagophilic 
(ice-obligate) seals. This diversity is higher than that of 
other areas such as northwest Spain (15 marine mam- 
mal species along 1195 km, Lopez et ah, 2002), Hawaii 
