SIRENEWS
NUMBER
IN THIS ISSUE:
-DUGONG POPULATION ESTIMATE FOR
-EXTENSIVE DYNAMITING PLANNED IN MANATEE HABITAT IN
NEW SIRENEWS SUBSCRIPTION POLICY
The
IUCN Species Survival Commission has been forced to cut back on its support of
Specialist Group newsletters, including this one. In order to meet our
publication costs, we must therefore institute a subscription policy, beginning
with the first issue of 1989. The following policy is being considered;
comments are invited.
Executive
and Corresponding Members of the Sirenia Specialist Group (listed in Sirenews
No. 5) will continue to receive the newsletter free of charge. All other
individuals and institutions will be asked to subscribe at the rate of US$5.00
per year, payable in
At the same time Sirenews
will be purging its mailing list in an effort to reduce costs. Those who have
not informed us positively by
CONSERVATION ACTION PLAN
The
Conservation Action Plan for the Sirenia is being drafted by Helene Marsh
(dugongs) and Tom O'Shea (manatees). The draft will eventually be circulated
for comments; however, the drafters request that anyone with suggestions or
contributions to offer for inclusion in the plan send them at this time to
either Helene or Tom, as appropriate. The response to this request so far has
been extremely disappointing. The initiative and cooperation of other active
sirenian researchers are badly needed so that the necessary labor can be shared
and not fall exclusively on these two individuals, who are already overburdened
with other research and management tasks.
LETTER
To Sirenews:
After
reading Helene Marsh's suggested guidelines for capture and holding of dugongs
in captivity [Sirenews No. 8], I feel that item 5 (food supply) should be
modified as follows: "A nutritious food source should be available."
I think that, in time, experimentation will yield an alternative food supply
(e.g., mats of hydroponically grown sprouts) that is cheaper to produce than it
is to gather seagrasses. This will also serve to minimize human impact on
seagrass beds. --Daniel K. Odell
LOCAL NEWS
Situation Looks Brighter for
Dugongs in
Last November, we repeated
the survey using the upgraded aerial survey technique developed for use in the
A public education program is
being developed in the Australian parts of
Radiotracking Update. - The immature male tagged with a VHF transmitter in
The
cause of the transmitters coming off is causing some concern. The VHF
transmitter apparently came off due to failure of the buckle after the tether
became entangled. Fortunately the transmitter and tether were found on a beach
by one of my students. The first of the four PTTs
failed after 4 weeks, apparently due to an electronic fault, and has not been
recovered. Another PTT came off after 7 weeks. The transmitter was recovered
without the tether or harness, suggesting human interference. Another PTT came
off its dugong after 11 weeks and has been recovered with the tether intact but
minus the tailstock belt, suggesting failure of the weak link. The fourth PTT
is still beeping away on a remote beach near the Aboriginal community of
Radiotagging: An Overview. - One of the major activities of the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service's Sirenia Project and its collaborators over the last two
years has been a radiotelemetry study of the
movements and local use areas of manatees along the east coast of
Tagging
activities have centered on the
Movement patterns are
complex. Some individuals spend most of the annual cycle in the same general
areas of
Despite
variability in total range of travel, within these ranges manatees may be
relatively predictable in their local use areas, showing heavy use of the same
limited locations from one summer to the next. During radiotracking
we have found important feeding and resting areas, determined rates of travel,
and learned more about interchange among wintering sites. We continue to be
impressed with the variability and flexibility in individual ecological and
behavioral strategies shown by this species. Some individuals switch from
foraging for weeks in Spartina salt marshes in
Radio
and satellite tracking has been a formidable task due to the complexity of
movement patterns, range of movements, and rates of travel. We have therefore
relied heavily on cooperation and funding from a variety of other groups
outside of the National Ecology Research Center, including the Florida
Department of Natural Resources, Florida Power and Light Company, Florida
Audubon Society, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. National Park
Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy, and the Save the Manatee
Club, as well as a variety of other organizations and volunteers. Hopefully,
our community effort will expand over the next few years to allow us to better
understand the variability we see, and to apply this understanding to manatee
conservation. - Tom O'Shea
Radiotracking
in
TNC-01, an adult (330-cm)
female, made three round trips between Cumberland Sound and
Several
areas in the Cumberland Sound region were frequently used by tagged manatees,
including the Kings Bay Nuclear Submarine Base. The sound appears to be an
important travel corridor for manatees. While water temperatures were low in
early spring, the Gilman Paper Company warm-water discharge provided a source
of warmth used by TNC-02 and other manatees. At high tide, TNC-02 left the
effluent to feed on Spartina growing along the river
banks. The Fernandina Municipal Marina and sewage treatment plant outfall
provide sources of fresh water for manatees. The
This report covers results
obtained in 1987 only. Two additional manatees were radiotagged
on
This
research has provided some valuable insights into the ecology of manatees in
the Cumberland Sound region. Through the continued cooperative efforts of the
National Park Service, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and
the
Hobe Sound Seagrass Study. - The National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service, and Florida Department of Natural Resources are
cooperating in an investigation of the submarine light regime and ecological
status of the seagrasses in Hobe Sound on
Dugong Status in
During
my visit, I was escorted by Mr. S. A. Hussain of the
Bombay Natural History Society, and Mr. A. Balakathiresan
of the Indian Forestry Service, which has responsibility for conservation and
wildlife management. I visited the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
at Mandapam and had talks with the Director, Dr. P.
V. Rao, and Mr. Bastion Fernando of his staff who had
collected the information on dugong mortality in the region.
After discussions with the local scientists, I
am convinced there is a major problem. Silas and Fernando have data which indicate
that 250 dugongs were illegally caught and butchered at the villages of Kilakarei and Peripattinum alone
between April 1983 and August 1984. The harvest rate is likely to be much less
than this at present because of the disturbance associated with the Tamil
terrorists.
In
order to evaluate the likely impact of this harvest, it will be necessary to
estimate dugong numbers in this region with an aerial survey, and I had
discussions with the Indian officials about the logistics of doing this.
Meanwhile,
we had fruitful discussions about how to reduce the illegal take, and developed
specific suggestions for increased surveillance coupled with a public education
program. I have written to the appropriate Indian officials about implementing
these measures. - Helene Marsh
Manatee Research in Quintana Roo. - A manatee project is currently in progress at the
Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo (C.I.Q.R.O.) in
Existing
information about manatees in this region, compiled from interviews and boat
and aerial surveys, shows that the manatee population has drastically declined
from past levels, probably due principally to past hunting pressure. An
important population has been found to exist in
Potential Threat from Mining and Dredging. - In view of the above report, it is significant that
an American gravel company is planning a major mining operation on the coast of
It
is not clear whether the quarrying will be carried out on the coast itself or
further inland. However, the construction of the port, presumably involving
further dynamiting as well as dredging, can certainly be expected to have a
significant impact on coastal waters, and the area of coastline in question was
considered by Colmenero and Zavala (1986) to provide
important habitat for manatees. A Mexican environmental organization, the Grupo Ecologista del Mayab (GEMA), has already
begun to organize opposition to the mining proposal. It would appear worthwhile
for international conservation organizations to also watch these developments
closely.
Dugong Workshop. - In December 1987, George Heinsohn
and I spent 10 days in
The
draft plan recognizes the importance of the Arabian region to the conservation
of world dugong stocks and advocates a regional approach to dugong management.
The most important recommendations concern a series of protected areas in the
Other
recommendations cover the inclusion of the dugong on the regional lists of
protected species, the protection of seagrass beds, the initiation of an
environmental awareness program and the development of a research and
monitoring program for dugongs.
The
Dugong Replenishment Program in
Sirenian Bibliography Project. - As many of you know, for some time (actually since
1967!) I have been at work on an exhaustive, fully annotated bibliography and
index of the literature on sirenians and desmostylians.
Since this project has now reached the mature age of 21, I think it is about
time for a progress report.
The
bibliography presently exists in the form of some three to five thousand
handwritten 3x5 index cards. These include references dating from the early
16th century to the present, on all aspects of sirenian biology, paleobiology, and ethnobiology,
as well as on the extinct Desmostylia. About a third
of these are indexed and annotated. The index consists of several thousand
additional cards and over 800 subject headings, including all published
scientific names and combinations ever used for sirenians or desmostylians, and all reported species of food plants and
parasites. Each index entry is an abbreviated citation (by author and date) of
the work indexed, followed by a brief annotation and an exact page reference.
This
project has been proceeding very slowly for many years because it has been
emphatically a spare-time effort; I have allowed many other activities to take
precedence over it. Now, spurred by signs of activity in other areas of marine
mammal bibliography, I am rather rapidly converting the files to computer-processable form. At this writing all of the author entries
through the letter E have been loaded into the computer, as well as all of the
subject headings for the index (but no actual index entries).
The
software I have adopted for this purpose is called Notebook II, which is
described as a "database manager for unlimited text." It is available
from Pro/Tem Software, Inc., 2363 Boulevard Circle, Walnut Creek, Calif. 94595
USA (phones 415-947-1000, 800-826-2222), for the remarkably low price of about
$189. The most recent issue is version 2.3. It is available for IBM and
compatible computers, the HP 150, HP 110, and other MSDOS-based computers. (My
machine is an IBM PC-XT.) It permits the use of international characters,
underlining, and italicization, which I am making full use of. It also permits
Boolean searches of records and fields and has many other desirable features.
So far I am pretty well satisfied with its capabilities, and suggest that
anyone who wants to use what I eventually produce in its electronic form might
want to purchase a copy of this very versatile program.
My
chief aim, however, has always been to produce the bibliography and index in
hard-copy (i.e., printed) form. I find paper copies easier to use for many
purposes than magnetic disks, and a lot more convenient for those users who
don't have instant access to a computer! I have designed the index to
accomplish on paper most of what the typical "keyword" systems
accomplish with on-line computer searches (my indexing system is not
keyword-based), so a computer will not be needed to make efficient use of the
bibliography. However, the computerization I am now undertaking, aside from
being the most efficient way to produce a hard copy, will generate the still
more versatile electronic version with no additional effort, so I expect that
those wishing to acquire copies will eventually have a choice of either or both
versions. The printed version will also include several appendices, one of
which will be an up-to-date classification and synonymy of the Sirenia and Desmostylia.
If
progress continues at near its present rate, I should have the entire
bibliography (including both verified and unverified citations, but without the
index) computerized by the end of 1988. (Or soon thereafter
...?) This would permit the production of a first printed edition that
would be similar in form to, but far more inclusive than, the sirenian
bibliography compiled in 1979 by Marsh, Channells,
and Morrissey and currently the largest and most up-to-date one available.
However, I would prefer to delay publication until at least a first draft of
the index is ready, because the bibliography will be of only limited use
without it. Please give me your thoughts on this point.
No
decision has yet been made concerning place or manner of publication, or price.
However, I expect that revised editions would be produced at intervals as I
work through the huge backlog of verification and indexing and continue to
incorporate the current literature.
Meanwhile,
I ask all my colleagues to continue to send me reprints and other citations for
inclusion in this bibliography. Its aim is no less than the greatest degree of
completeness achievable. I feel - and I consider myself a good judge of the
matter - that no one should ever have the misfortune of doing this job over
again! For the sake of posterity, please help me get all the fish into the net!
Finally,
it should be noted that efforts are also underway at several other places in
the
DUGONG
TISSUES AVAILABLE
The
Adrenal Caecum Fat
Heart muscle Foetal
muscle Liver
Salivary gland Kidney Tongue
Spleen Eye Thyroid
These are available to
interested scientists, who should contact: Dr. Jim Menzies,
National Museum & Art Gallery, P.O. Box 5560, Boroko, Papua New Guinea.
ABSTRACTS
The following abstracts are
of papers and posters presented at the Seventh Biennial Conference on the
Biology of Marine Mammals,
The following abstracts are
of papers presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists,
RECENT LITERATURE
Anonymous. 1986. Short news item - Metaxytherium
calvertense. Ecphora 2(2):
2.
Albrecht, H. 1986. [Mermaids.] Dieren 2(6): 178-179. [In Dutch.]
Anderson, P.K. 1986. Dugong behavior and ecology. A study in SHark Bay, Western Australia. Explorers Jour. 64(4):
162- 167.
Bertram, G.C.L. 1987.
Antarctica, Cambridge, conservation and population: a biologist's story. Publ. by the author (Ricardo's, Graffham,
Petworth, Sussex GU28 0PU, England; L-8 per copy
postpaid): viii + 208. [Sirenians, pp. 112-125.]
Blair, D. 1986. Remarkable parasites in a unique host. Parasitology
Today 2(7): S21-S22.
Colares, E.P., and L.C. Ferreira.
1987. Ocorre^ncia de po'lipo
hamartomatoso no intestino delgado do peixe-boi
da Amazo^nia Trichechus
inunguis (Mammalia: Sirenia). Anais da 2a. Reunia~o
de Trabalho de Especialistas
em Mami'feros Aqua'ticos da Ame'rica
do Sul (Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 4-8, 1986): 39.
Colares, E.P., G.R.S. Moreira, and G.A. Ribeiro. 1987.
Amamentac,a~o de peixe-boi amazo^nico (Trichechus
inunguis) em cativeiro. Anais da 2a. Reunia~o de Trabalho de Especialistas em Mami'feros Aqua'ticos
da Ame'rica do Sul (Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 4-8, 1986): 40-41.
Colares, I.G., and E.P. Colares. 1987. Variac,a~o
anual de vegetais que servem de alimentac,a~o
para o peixe-boi
amazo^nico (Mammalia - Sirenia). Anais da
2a. Reunia~o de Trabalho
de Especialistas em Mami'feros Aqua'ticos da Ame'rica do Sul (Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 4-8, 1986): 42-44.
Cruz, A.G.,
and R. Delgado. 1986. Distribution
of the macrophytes of Lake Yojoa,
Honduras. Rev. Biol. Trop. 34(1): 141-150. [In Spanish; Engl.
summary.]
Elias,
P.M., G.K. Menon, S. Grayson, B.E. Brown, and S.J. Rehfeld. 1987.
Avian sebokeratocytes and marine mammal lipokeratinocytes: structural, lipid biochemical, and
functional considerations. Amer. J. Anat. 180(2): 161-177.
Geraci, J.R., and D.J. St. Aubin. 1987. Effects of parasites on marine mammals. Internatl.
Jour. Parasitol. 17(2): 407-414.
Kamiya, T. 1986. Steller's sea cow and
gray whale. Aquabiology 8(3): 161. [In Japanese.]
Kimura, M.,
H. Kokubu, S. Kumano, and M. Matsui. 1987. Desmostylian molar
found from Shimukappu-mura, Yufutsu-gun,
Hokkaido. Earth Science 41(1): 61-64. [In Japanese.]
Kimura, M.,
and H. Oguri. 1985. Largest desmostylian humerus and patella. Jour. Fossil Research 18: 11-20. [In Japanese; Engl. summary.]
Klarner, D. 1986. Seekuhe vor dem Untergang? Kosmos
(Stuttgart) 82(8): 87.
Mate, B.
1986. Tracking
marine mammals by satellite: identification of critical habitats. Whalewatcher 20(2): 8- 9.
Mate, B., and
J.P. Reid. 1987. Long-term
tracking of manatees through the Argos satellite system. Pp.
213-220 in Proceedings of Service Argos, Inc. International Users Conference
and Exhibit, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Ness, P.S.
1986. Introducing
the West Indian manatee. Freshwater Mar. Aquar. 9(10): 50-51.
Nielsen, B.
1986. The Global Plan of Action
for the conservation, management and utilization of marine mammals. Ambio 15(3): 134-136.
Pilleri, G. 1987. The Sirenia of the Swiss Molasse with a descriptive catalogue of the fossil Sirenia
preserved in Swiss collections. Ostermundigen
(Switzerland), Brain Anatomy Institute: 1-114. 59 pls.
Thorhaug, A. 1987. Large-scale seagrass restoration in a damaged estuary. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 18(8): 442-446.
Walsh,
M.T., G.D. Bossart, W.G. Young, Jr., and P.M. Rose. 1987. Omphalitis and
peritonitis in a young West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). J. Wildl. Dis. 23(4): 702-704.
Zhou, K. 1986. An outline of marine mammalogical
researches in China. Acta Theriol. Sin.
6(3): 219-232. [In Chinese; Engl. summ.]
CHANGES OF ADDRESS
Dr. Iyad
A. Nader, P. O. Box 2491, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Daniel K. Odell, Sea
World Research Institute, Florida Marine Science Center, P.O. Box 590471,
Orlando, Fla. 32859-0471 USA
>>>
COPY DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE:
EDITORIAL: THE
ETHICS OF CAPTURING SIRENIANS
Information
has reached Sirenews of a most regrettable incident involving the capture of
dugongs for public display. It seems that personnel of a well-known aquarium
recently undertook an expedition for this purpose to a Third World country
where dugongs are reportedly very scarce. With the permission of that country's
government, they located dugongs and successfully captured one for their
institution. But in the process they are alleged to have accidentally killed a
total of five other dugongs, including the mother of the individual captured.
Worse yet, the aquarium staff then made strenuous efforts to conceal the deaths
by secretly disposing of the carcasses.
Good
displays of endangered species in zoos and aquaria increase public awareness of
and support for species preservation efforts. It is worthwhile to take a few
dugongs and manatees out of the wild so that they and their wild cousins can be
appreciated, and in the long run protected, by the millions of people who will
inevitably determine their fate. But this cannot excuse incompetent handling
and excessive mortality of animals, or guilty attempts to hide the evidence.
Such blunders only give ammunition to those who would shut down all captive
animal facilities, beginning with the commercial ones. Many aquaria around the
world (including the one involved in this incident) have shown that they can do
a conscientious job of keeping marine mammals. For their own survival as well
as that of the animals, they must not relax their standards. These standards
should include, among others: proper training and supervision of personnel in
capture and handling techniques; openness to public scrutiny of all matters
relating to animal care; and a policy of taking animals only from populations
known to be sufficiently numerous, even if permits are more easily obtainable
elsewhere - and even if such a policy rules out the taking altogether. To do
otherwise will be increasingly condemned as unethical by both the scientific
community and the public. - DPD
EDITORIAL:
From January through August
1987, 27
NEW SIRENEWS SUBSCRIPTION POLICY
The
IUCN Species Survival Commission has been forced to cut back on its support of
Specialist Group newsletters, including this one. In order to meet our
publication costs, we must therefore institute a subscription policy, beginning
with the first issue of 1989.
Executive
and Corresponding Members of the Sirenia Specialist Group (listed in Sirenews
No. ) will continue to receive the newsletter free of charge and need take no
action. All other individuals and institutions are asked to subscribe at the
rate of US$5.00 per year, payable in U.S. currency only. Those with addresses
in the U.S. will be required to pay; those in other countries for whom payment
in U.S. currency is difficult or impossible will, upon request, be sent the
newsletter free....