Attention to Strandings and Rescues
INFORMATION ABOUT STRANDING
A stranding consists of an event in which a marine mammal (or more than one) reaches land, dead or alive, or is in shallow water, being unable to return to deeper waters for itself.
Why do they strand?
*Diseases
* Disorientation near the coast
* Influence of man
(fisheries, noise, sonars)
* Persecution by predators
* Other factors
Types of strandings
-Living: of the cases we have attended to, around 40% are living individuals. In most of the cases, the condition and cause of stranding make recovery difficult, despite the efforts.
-Dead: depending on their state of decomposition, necropsy, sampling or only registration and burial are performed
-Individual: 1 individual only
-Massive: more than 1 individual
If you find a stranding, you should consider the following:
* It is best to stay away and not try to touch the stranded individual.
* Live animals can hurt you, as they are stressed by their condition; They could also transmit diseases to you.
* Dead animals represent a health risk due to the state in which they are, for example transmission of infections.
What to do?
* Take photographs, if possible, of full body, dorsal fin and head at various angles. Try to register the position, if it is not possible, try to look for points that can make a quickly localization of the area. Take as much information as that you can, you could be the only source of information.
* Contact PROFEPA (Tel. 1220787), at 911 so that they can make the contact or directly with us at the telephones: 6121556609 or 6123482155
Recent cases attended by MMARES, AC / Stranding Network of La Paz
For recent cases and news, visit our Facebook and blog (Spanish)
2014-2018
Scientific Articles and Dissemination
2016
First Record of Pygmy Killer Whales (Feresa attenuata) in the Gulf of California, Mexico: Diet Inferences and Probable Relation with Warm Conditions During 2014
Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken, Hiram Rosales-Nanduca, Aurora Paniagua-Mendoza, Sergio Martínez-Aguilar, Ana K. Nader-Valencia, Roberto Robles-Hernández, Francisco Gómez-Díaz, and Jorge Urbán R. Aquatic Mammals 2016, 42(1), 20-26, DOI 10.1578/AM.42.1.2016.20
2018
Short NoteSeasonality and Potential Foraging Grounds of Migratory California Sea Lions from La Paz Bay, Southern Gulf of California, Mexico.
Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken, Julieta Sandoval-Sierra, Aurora Paniagua-Mendoza, and Roberto Robles-Hernández. Aquatic Mammals 2018, 44(1), 56-61, DOI 10.1578/AM.44.1.2018.56
2019
Records of whalesuckers Remora australis on Short-beaked Common Dolphins Delphinus delphis in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
Becerril-García, E., Rosales-Nanduca, H., Paniagua-Mendoza, A., Robles-Hernández, R., Elorriaga-Verplancken, F. R. Aquatic Mammals 2019, 45(3), 299-302, DOI 10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.299
2020
A Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) in the Gulf of California: Genetic Confirmation of the Northernmost Record to Date.
Elorriaga-Verplancken, F.R., Anidia Blanco-Jarvio, Claudia A. Silva-Segundo, Aurora Paniagua-Mendoza, Hiram Rosales-Nanduca, Roberto Robles-Hernandez, Sandra Mote-Herrera, Maria Jose Amador-Capitanachi, and Julieta Sandoval-Sierra. Aquatic Mammals 2020, 46(2): 137-145. DOI:
2020
Stable isotope assessment of a mass stranding of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis delphis) reveals their provenance: Integrating knowledge of a little-known odontocete in the Gulf of California
Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken, Aurora Paniagua-Mendoza, Anidia Blanco-Jarvio, Erica Carone, Roberto Robles-Hernández, Claudia Ballínez-Ambriz, Hiram Rosales-Nanduca. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 40 101503. DOI: