Correcting the Narrative

This special episode features a series of panel presentations based on recently published peer-reviewed papers about dolphin life expectancy, orca longevity, cetacean dive physiology, and two rebuttals of Marino et al 2019. Panelists Kelly Jaakkola, Kevin Willis, Andreas Fahlman, Heather Hill, Kathleen Dudzinski, & Jason Bruck present data, as well as, commentary on a case study example of a published paper on orca welfare that never should have cleared the peer-review process. Our panel of scientists clarify what we currently know and don't know about two popular species of marine mammals in human care and in the wild across a few key welfare measures. Plus, they discuss at length the problems that occur when previous scientific citations are misused, and unsupported opinion and agendas are passed off as science in peer-reviewed journals.

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Kelly Jaakkola Dolphin Life Expectancy

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12601 

 

Kevin Willis Orca Longevity

Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E.  Deaths: Final data for 2017.  National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 9.  Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.  2019.

Jett, J. and Ventre, J.  Captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) survival.  Marine Mammal Science, 4:297-311.  2015.

Robeck, T. R., K. Willis, M. R. Scarpuzzi and J. K. O’Brien. 2015. Comparisons of life history parameters between free-ranging and captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) populations for application toward species management. Journal of Mammalogy, 96:1055-1070.

Robeck, T., Jaakkola, K., Stafford G., and Willis, K. Killer whale (Orcinus orca) survivorship in captivity: A critique of Jett and Ventre (2015). Marine Mammal Science, 32, 786–792.  2016.

 

Andreas Fahlman Dolphin Dive and Respiratory Physiology

Borque Espinosa, A., Burgos, F., Dennison, S., Laughlin, R., Manley, M., Capaccioni, R. and Fahlman, A. (2020). Lung function testing as a diagnostic tool to assess respiratory health in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 138, 17-27.

Fahlman, A., Borque-Espinosa, A., Facchin, F., Ferrero Fernandez, D., Muñoz Caballero, P., Haulena, M. and Rocho-Levine, J. (2020). Comparative respiratory physiology in cetaceans. Frontiers Physiology 11, 1-7.

Fahlman, A., Brodsky, M., Miedler, S., Dennison, S., Ivančić, M., Levine, G., Rocho-Levine, J., Manley, M., Rocabert, J. and Borque Espinosa, A. (2019). Ventilation and gas exchange before and after voluntary static surface breath-holds in clinically healthy bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Journal of Experimental Biology 222, 1-9.

Fahlman, A., Brodsky, M., Wells, R., McHugh, K., Allen, J., Barleycorn, A., Sweeney, J. C., Fauquier, D. and Moore, M. (2018a). Field energetics and lung function in wild bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay Florida. Royal Society Open Science 5, 171280.

Fahlman, A., Jensen, F., Tyack, P. L. and Wells, R. (2018b). Modeling tissue and blood gas kinetics in coastal and offshore common Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Frontiers Physiology 9, 1-13.

Fahlman, A., Loring, S. H., Levine, G., Rocho-Levine, J., Austin, T. and Brodsky, M. (2015). Lung mechanics and pulmonary function testing in cetaceans Journal of Experimental Biology 218, 2030-2038.

Fahlman, A., McHugh, K., Allen, J., Barleycorn, A., Allen, A., Sweeney, J., Stone, R., Faulkner Trainor, R., Bedford, G., Moore, M. J. et al. (2018c). Resting metabolic rate and lung function in wild offshore common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, near bermuda. Frontiers in Physiology 9.

Fahlman, A., Moore, M. J. and Garcia-Parraga, D. (2017). Respiratory function and mechanics in pinnipeds and cetaceans. Journal of Experimental Biology 220, 1761-1763.

Thanks to Dr. Randy Wells, Director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and Chicago Zoological Society.

https://www.sarasotadolphin.org/about-us-2/ 

 

Kathleen Dudzinski & Heather Hill 

Commentary on Marino et al 2019 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cj9473p

www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org

https://www.dolphincommunicationproject.org/index.php/about-dolphins/scientific-publications

 

Jason Bruck

Commentary on Marino et al 2019 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason_Bruck2