Active and Closed Unusual Mortality Events

Since 1991, marine mammal unusual mortality events (UMEs) have been declared.

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Table of Contents

Since 1991, 70 marine mammal unusual mortality events (UMEs) have been declared.

Active UMEs

UME No. Year Declared UME Name Species Body of Water/ Location Cause
70 2019 Alaska Ice Seal Ringed seal, bearded seal, spotted seal Bering and Chukchi Seas Undetermined
68 2019 Gray Whale Gray Whale Pacific Undetermined
67 2018 Northeast Pinniped Harbor and gray seals Atlantic  Infectious Disease
66 2018 Southwest Florida Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin Gulf of Mexico Biotoxin
65 2018 Atlantic Minke Whales Minke whale Atlantic Ocean Suspect Human Interaction (Entanglement)/Infectious Disease
64 2017 North Atlantic Right Whales North Atlantic right whale

Atlantic Ocean, Canada and U.S.

 Human Interaction (Vessel Strike/Rope Entanglement)
63 2017 Atlantic Humpback Whales Humpback whale

Atlantic Ocean

 Suspect Human Interaction (Vessel Strike)
62 2015 Guadalupe Fur Seal Guadalupe fur seal

Pacific Ocean, California, Oregon and Washington

 Ecological factors
58 2013 Florida East Coast Manatee Manatee Indian River Lagoon, Florida-East Coast Undetermined

Closed UMEs

UME No. Year Declared UME Name Species Body of Water/ Location Number of Animals Date Range Cause
69 2019 Northern Gulf of Mexico Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin Northern Gulf of Mexico 337 February 1, 2019 to November 30,2019 Ecological Factors
61 2015 Alaska and British
Columbia Large
Whale		 Primarily fin whales
and humpback
whales		 Pacific Ocean,
Gulf of Alaska,
United States;
British
Columbia,
Canada		 52 April 23, 2015 to
April 16, 2016		 Undetermined;
secondary
ecological
factors
60 2013 Mid-Atlantic
Bottlenose Dolphin		 Bottlenose dolphins, other cetaceans Atlantic Ocean, New York to Florida ~1,650 July 1, 2013 to March
1, 2015		 Infectious disease
59 2013 Florida Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins Indian River Lagoon, Florida 79 January 9, 2013 to December 31, 2013 Ecological factors
57 2013 California Sea Lion California Sea Lion Pacific Ocean, California 8,122 January 1, 2013 to September 30, 2016 Ecological Factors
56 2012 Texas Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin Gulf of Mexico, Texas 126 November 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 Biotoxin
55 2011 Alaska Pinniped Pinnipeds and Walrus Bering and Chukchi Seas, Alaska ~657 May 1, 2011 to December 31, 2016 Undetermined
54 2011 Northeast Pinniped pinnipeds Atlantic Ocean, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts 784 June 1, 2011 to November 15, 2012 Infectious Disease
53 2011 South Carolina Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins Atlantic Ocean, South Carolina 37 February 27, 2011 to May 30, 2011 Undetermined
52 2011 Florida Manatee manatees Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida 143 December 16, 2010 to February 13, 2011 Ecological Factors
51 2010 Florida St. Johns River Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins St. Johns River, Florida 23 May 24, 2010 to November 7, 2010 Undetermined
50 2010 Northern Gulf of Mexico Cetaceans cetaceans Gulf of Mexico, Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana 1,141 March 2010 to July 2014 Human Interaction
49 2010 Florida Manatee manatees Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida ~529 January 11, 2010 to April 9, 2010 Ecological Factors
48 2009 Virginia Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins Atlantic Ocean, Virginia 40 April 21, 2009 to June 30, 2009 Undetermined
47 2008 California Harbor Porpoise harbor porpoises Pacific Ocean, California 170 May 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009 Ecological Factors
46 2008 Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphins Bottlenose dolphins Indian River Lagoon, Florida 48 May 2, 2008 to September 4, 2008 Undetermined
45 2008 Mid-Atlantic Small Cetacean common dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey to North Carolina 35

January 1, 2008

to

April 26, 2008

 Undetermined
44 2008 Texas Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Texas 113 February 1, 2008 to March 31, 2008 Undetermined
43 2007 Northwest Guadalupe Fur Seal Guadalupe fur seals Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Washington 29 June 20, 2007 to March 31, 2008 Undetermined
42 2007 California Blue Whale large whales Pacific Ocean, California 6 September 8, 2007 to November 29, 2007 Human Interaction
41 2007 Southwest Florida Manatee manatees Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Florida 54 March 7, 2007 to April 28, 2007 Biotoxin
40 2007 California Cetacean cetaceans Pacific Ocean, California 91 February 10, 2007 to September 30, 2007 Undetermined
39 2007 Texas to Louisiana Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins

Gulf of Mexico, Texas and Louisiana

 65 February 27. 2007 to July 26, 2007 Undetermined
38 2006 Everglade Manatee manatees

Gulf of Mexico, Everglades, Florida

 24 November 9, 2006 to December 31, 2006 Biotoxin
37 2006 Northwest Harbor Porpoise harbor porpoises Pacific Ocean, Pacific Northwest 114 January 11, 2006 to December 20, 2007 Undetermined
36 2006 Northeast Pinniped pinnipeds Atlantic Ocean, Maine to Virginia ~800 April 20, 2006 to October 31, 2007 Infectious Disease
35 2005-2006 Northeast Large Whale humpback whales Atlantic Ocean, Maine to Virginia 48 January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007 Undetermined
34 2006 Alaska Sea Otter sea otters Kachemak Bay, Alaska ~491 January 1, 2004 to October 1, 2012 Undetermined
33 2005-2006 Florida Panhandle Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico Panhandle, Florida ~93 September 19, 2005 to April 30, 2006 Biotoxin
32 2005 Northeast Large Whale large whales Atlantic Ocean, Canada to Maryland 34 July 1, 2005 to November 7, 2005 Undetermined
31 2005 North Carolina Harbor Porpoise harbor porpoises Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina 43 February 12, 2005 to May 8, 2005 Undetermined
30 2005 West Florida Multi-Species multi-species (manatees, bottlenose dolphins, other) Gulf of Mexico, Florida ~190 dolphins; ~92 manatees; ~38 manatees

July 1, 2005 and Nov 30,  2006;

March 4, 2005 to December 31, 2005; July 17, 2006 to December 31, 2006

 Biotoxin
29 2004 Virginia Small Cetaceans small cetaceans Atlantic Ocean, Virginia ~52 May 1, 2004 to July 12,2004 Undetermined
28 2004 North Carolina Cetacean small cetaceans Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina ~37 July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004 Undetermined
27 2004 Florida Panhandle Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Panhandle, Florida 107

March 10, 2004  to April 13, 2004

 Biotoxin
26 2003-2004 Northeast Minke Whale and Harbor Seal minke whales; harbor seals Atlantic Ocean, Maine ~22 minke whales; ~42 harbor seals May 1, 2003 to  November 30, 2003 Undetermined
25 2003 Florida Manatee manatees Gulf of Mexico, Florida ~96 March 2 to September 3, 2003 Biotoxin
24 2003 Gulf of Maine Large Whale large whales (primarily humpback whales) Gulf of Maine, Canada to Massachusetts 21 June 17, 2003 to September 1, 2003 Undetermined
23 2003 California Sea Otter sea otters Pacific Ocean, California ~69 January 1, 2003 to October 1, 2003 Ecological Factors
22 2002 Florida Manatee manatees Gulf of Mexico, Florida 34 March 10, 2002 to April 8, 2002 Biotoxin
21 2002 California Multi-Species multi-species (common dolphins, California sea lions, sea otters) Pacific Ocean, California ~500 January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002 Biotoxin
20 2001 Hawaiian Monk Seal Hawaiian monk seals Pacific Ocean, Northwest Hawaiian Islands ~11 March 24, 2001 to February 5, 2002 Ecological Factors
19 2001 Florida Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Indian River Lagoon, Florida ~30 May 1, 2001 to October 31, 2001 Undetermined
18 2000 Harbor Seal harbor seals Pacific Ocean, California ~26 Not Available Infectious Disease
17 2000 California Sea Lion California sea lions Pacific Ocean, California 184 June 23, 2000 to December 1, 2000 Biotoxin
16 1999-2001 Pacific Gray Whale gray whales Pacific Ocean, California, Oregon, Washington ~651 January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2000 Undetermined
15 1999-2000 Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Panhandle, Florida 115 August 5, 1999 to May 20, 2000 Biotoxin
14 1998 California Sea Lion California sea lions Pacific Ocean, California 70 May 15,1998 to June 19, 1998 Biotoxin
13 1997 Harbor Seal harbor seals Pacific Ocean, California ~90 Not Available Infectious Disease
12 1996 Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi ~30 Not Available Undetermined
11 1996 Florida Manatee manatees Gulf of Mexico, Florida 149 March 5, 1996 to April 27, 1996 Biotoxin
10 1996 Right Whale North Atlantic right whales Atlantic Ocean, Georgia, Florida ~6 Not Available Human Interaction
9 1994 Texas Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Texas ~72 (57) December 1, 1993 to April 30, 1994 Infectious Disease
8 1994 California Common Dolphin common dolphins Pacific Ocean, California ~53 Not Available Undetermined
7 1993 Pinniped pinnipeds Pacific Ocean, Washington ~53 Not Available Human Interaction
6 1992-1993 California Sea Lion pinnipeds Pacific Ocean, California ~1000 January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1992 Ecological Factors
5 1992 Texas Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Texas 220 January 1, 1992 to May 31, 1992 Undetermined
4 1992 Northeast Pinniped pinnipeds Atlantic Ocean, New England ~24 September 1, 1991 to April 30, 1992 Undetermined (suspect Infectious Disease)
3  1991 Bottlenose Dolphin bottlenose dolphins Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota, Florida 30 Not Available Undetermined
2 1991 California Sea Lion California sea lions Pacific Ocean, California ~160 September 1, 1991 to December 31, 1991 Infectious Disease
1 1991 Northeast Pinnipeds harbor seals Atlantic Ocean, New Jersey ~34 Not Available Undetermined

 

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Last updated by Office of Protected Resources on 06/04/2020

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