This proposal encompasses costs and matches for personnel, supplies, and equipment to facilitate response to, treatment of, and data collection from living and dead stranded marine mammals found in…

This Project Grant award from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides $286,592 to Oregon State University to support activities under the Marine Mammal Data Program. The funding will facilitate response to, treatment of, and data collection from living and dead stranded marine mammals found along the Oregon coast through November 2023.

Specifically, the university will continue investigations of dead animals including diagnostics and tissue archiving. Response to entangled live pinnipeds and whales will also continue. The award supports continued recruitment and training of volunteer groups as well as workshops to increase data collection capabilities of primary responders under the program. Development of a statewide marine mammal stranding database compatible with regional and national databases is a further expected outcome. The integrated activities aim to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and cohesiveness of Oregon's marine mammal stranding network while advancing understanding of baseline mortality and morbidity patterns and emerging disease surveillance.

This proposal encompasses costs and matches for personnel, supplies, and equipment to facilitate response to, treatment of, and data collection from living and dead stranded marine mammals found in all sections of the oregon coast. Proposed activities include continued investigations of dead animals to include diagnostics and tissue archiving, continued response to entangled live pinnipeds and whales, continued recruitment and training of volunteer groups, workshops to increase the level a, b and c data collection capabilities of primary responders, and further development of a statewide stranding database that is compatible with regional and national databases. Expected outcomes are continued increases in the efficiency, effectiveness and cohesiveness of the oregon marine mammal stranding network and continued progress in establishing baselines in marine mammal mortality and morbidity patterns and surveillance of emerging diseases.