More dead baby dolphins found

GULFPORT, Miss. - The number of new born or stillborn baby dolphins washing ashore from the Gulf or the Mississippi Sound continued to rise. The total in Mississippi and Alabama alone is 36 calves and eight adults or young adults, as of mid-day Monday. Researchers in Mississippi and Alabama are concerned about the sharp spike in the number of dead newborns along the coasts of the two states before the birthing season for dolphins gets fully under way. (Source: Sun Herald, 02/28/11)

Infant dolphin deaths up

GULFPORT, Miss. - Baby dolphins are washing up along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines at 10 times the normal rate. The Sun Herald reports that 17 young dolphins, either aborted or dead soon after birth, have been collected along the shorelines. It's the first birthing season for dolphins since the BP oil spill. Moby Solangi, director of the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies, said that typically in January and February one or two baby dolphins per month will be found in Mississippi and Alabama. (Source: Sun Herald, 02/21/11) Over the weekend, Samantha Joye, a scientist from the University of Georgia, told a science conference in Washington that the oil from the BP spill is not degrading as quickly as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor. (Source: Multiple, including AP, 02/20/11)

Boatman assumes MTS presidency

COLUMBIA, Md. - Jerry Boatman, Ocean Science and Technology Director of QinetiQ North America, has assumed new duties as president of the Marine Technology Society. Boatman, who will serve two years, is a former senior manager of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Drew Michel, owner and principal consultant of ROV Technologies Inc., Houston, TX, is the society’s president-elect. The Marine Technology Society is an international community of ocean engineers, technologists, policy-makers and educators who provide the ocean community with forums for the exchange of information and ideas through its peer-reviewed MTS Journal, conferences, newsletters and Web site. (Source: Marine Technology Society, January 2011)

Menhaden catch down

Gulf of Mexico menhaden landings fell 17 percent in 2010 as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill curtailed the season. Ben Landry, director of public affairs for Omega Protein, said the 2010 fishing season was rough. The company thinks the season's lower-than-average catch was due to the water closures rather than any problems with the menhaden population. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the 2010 menhaden season saw 379,727 metric tons landed at four Gulf sites, compared to 457,457 metric tons in 2009. (Source: Mississippi Press, 02/03/11)