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Short-term Effects of Hurricane Harvey on Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Upper Galveston Bay, TX

  • Special Issue: Impact of 2017 Hurricanes
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Abstract

From August 26 to 30, 2017, Hurricane Harvey inundated the Galveston Bay estuary in Texas with record-breaking rainfall. As a result, salinity levels in the bay declined rapidly from an average of 14 to < 1 ppt, altering aquatic habitat in the weeks following the storm. Long-term photo-identification monitoring efforts provided an opportunity to undertake a case study describing the effects of this extreme flood event on the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting upper Galveston Bay. We compared dolphin encounter rates for the months preceding and following Harvey to a year with no hurricane, examined shifts in habitat-based encounter rates, and evaluated the prevalence and extent of dolphin skin lesions, typically presenting as ulcerated or degraded epidermis. Encounter rates decreased from 1.09 dolphins per linear kilometer (d/km) in August 2017 before Harvey to 0.29 d/km in September 2017 (compared to 0.85 d/km in August 2016 and 0.91 d/km in September 2016). While most dolphins evacuated the upper portion of the bay, many remaining dolphins shifted habitats from shallow open bay to deep channels where salinity increased with depth. Of the dolphins that were sighted in the upper bay during the low salinity event, 96% exhibited at least one lesion and 65% of those dolphins had lesions of medium or high extent (significant increases compared to pre-Harvey levels). After salinity returned to levels above 11 ppt (approximately 8 weeks after Harvey), encounter rates increased and extent of lesions decreased, but prevalence of lesions remained elevated for at least 4 months after Harvey.

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Acknowledgments

This study was part of the Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program, a cooperative agreement between the Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston - Clear Lake and the Galveston Bay Foundation. We thank the many people who contributed to the field work, logistical support, data collection and organization, and analyses, including George Guillen, Jenny Oakley, Sherah Loe, Shelby Yahn, Ashley Burke, and program volunteers. We thank Christina Toms with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) for skin lesion methodology guidance. We also thank Randy Wells and the SDRP for their long-standing support and mentorship. This work was conducted under the National Marine Fisheries Service Permit #18881.

Funding

This study was completed with grant support from the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Emergency Fund, Restore America’s Estuaries, the Trull Foundation, and individual program donors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Institute of Houston, University of Houston - Clear Lake, North Office Annex; 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Box 540, Houston, TX, 77508-1002, USA

    Kristi Fazioli

  2. Galveston Bay Foundation, Kemah, TX, USA

    Vanessa Mintzer

  3. School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Vanessa Mintzer

  4. Wildlife Research Partnerships, Asheville, NC, USA

    Vanessa Mintzer

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  1. Kristi Fazioli
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  2. Vanessa Mintzer
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Correspondence to Kristi Fazioli.

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Communicated by Steven Litvin

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Fazioli, K., Mintzer, V. Short-term Effects of Hurricane Harvey on Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Upper Galveston Bay, TX. Estuaries and Coasts 43, 1013–1031 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00751-y

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