Summary

Description

This is the first study that concurrently measured POPs in milk and blood of delphinid mother/calf pairs during lactation. Specifically, POPs (PCBs, PBDEs, DDTs) and lipid content were quantified in milk and blood serum collected from captive female bottlenose dolphins and their calves at four time intervals up to 15 months post-partum. POPs were also quantified in placentas from females. These data will provide information on the dynamics of contaminant transfer during gestation and lactation in delphinids. This project was funded by the NWFSC Internal Grants Program. Dawn Noren is the principal investigator, and Daryle Boyd and Gina Ylitalo are collaborators. Veterinarian staff at the SPAWAR U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program in San Diego, CA are also collaborators. Dawn Noren is responsible for project oversight, while Daryle Boyd and Gina Ylitalo are responsible for the analysis of samples, and the staff at SPAWAR are responsible for the collection of samples. The specific work that will be done includes experimental design, data collection, data analysis, and writing for submission to peer-reviewed journals. This is a one-time project that addresses a key data gap related to contaminant exposure in young marine mammals, including Southern Resident killer whales. Dolphin age, reproductive history, milk and blood contaminant levels