Prey-Related Asphyxiation in Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) along the U.S. West Coast: Importance of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) on Adult Female Harbor Porpoise Mortality
| Autor: | Marc A. Webber, James M. Rice, John Calambokidis, Jessica L. Huggins, Deborah A. Duffield, Dalin N. D’Alessandro, Isidore Szczepaniak, Cindy R. Elliser |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
food.ingredient strandings Foraging Zoology Phocoena American shad Biology 01 natural sciences Predation food biology.animal large prey foraging ecology West coast asphyxiation Alosa Adult female 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology salmon 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences biology.organism_classification Phocoena phocoena harbor porpoise 040102 fisheries 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries Porpoise |
| Zdroj: | Oceans Volume 1 Issue 3 Pages 8-113 |
| ISSN: | 2673-1924 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/oceans1030008 |
| Popis: | Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) diets are predominantly comprised of small fish species (< 30 cm) and squid. However, predation on larger species (up to 63 cm) occurs, raising the question of increased risk of asphyxiation associated with this behavior. Literature was reviewed and stranding data from 1983 to 2020 from the U.S. West Coast (including California, Oregon and Washington) were searched for cases of prey-related asphyxiation of harbor porpoises and analyzed in relation to age, sex, reproductive status and prey species. Twenty-nine cases were documented. Twenty-seven cases involved large prey non-native American shad caused the asphyxiation in 87% of the cases where the prey species was identified. The majority (92%) of harbor porpoises were females, and at least 83.3% were pregnant or recently post-partum. Reproductively active females may be more likely to attempt potentially risky behavior in order to compensate for their increased energetic needs. Increasing numbers of non-native American shad may pose a unique danger in this region for harbor porpoises not adapted to deal with the challenges of that prey. This may be a cause for concern, as there is likely an interaction between location, age and reproductive status on the diet composition and foraging strategies of harbor porpoises. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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