Ocean Health
Promoting a planet where humans and marine life thrive together
What We Do
We study how natural and human-induced changes affect the health of marine ecosystems—linking veterinary science, environmental health, and ocean resilience to support thriving marine life and protect public health.
Why It Matters
Ocean health is directly tied to the well-being of marine life—and people. Our research helps prevent disease, reduce the impact of ocean stressors, and improve response to marine animal emergencies by:
- Studying disease transmission and zoonotic threats
- Promoting ecosystem resilience and recovery through habitat restoration
- Responding to whale and dolphin strandings
- Evaluating the effects of ocean warming and acidification on species of concern
- Assessing how contaminants and biotoxins affect marine ecosystems
Key Focus Areas
Marine Animals as Sentinels
Investigating how diseases and toxins that affect ocean animals also pose risks to human health, including harmful algal blooms and emerging zoonotic diseases.
Health as a Driver of Population Change
Exploring how animal health influences behavior, survival, migration, and population trends.
Stranding Response & Investigations
Leading emergency response and scientific evaluation of marine mammal strandings to identify causes, improve outcomes, and guide rehabilitation strategies.
Aquatic Animal Health & Epidemiology
Advancing best practices in marine fish care, aquaculture health, and fishery enhancement to ensure healthy animals for release and human consumption.
Our Service and Impact
Eastern Florida Coast Covered
Marine Mammal Stranding Responses
Recorded Cetacean Stranding Responses
Marine Mammal Health Tools Developed
Publications
Marine animals as sentinels for human health
Studying zoonotic diseases and investigating environmental threats (e.g., biotoxins from harmful algal blooms) that affect both humans and marine.
lifeBoyce, W.M., I. Mena, P.K. Yochem, F.M.D. Gulland, A. Garcia-Sastre, N. Moreno, D.R. Perez, A.S. Gonzalez-Reiche and B.S. Stewart. 2013. Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection in marine mammals in California. Emerging Microbes and Infections. (doi:10.1038/emi.2013.40).
Durden, W.N., J. St. Leger, M. Stolen, T. Mazza, and C. Londono. 2009. Lacaziosis in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 45: 849-856.
Durden, W.N., Stolen, M.K., Adams, D.H., and Stolen, E.D. Mercury and selenium concentrations in stranded bottlenose dolphin tissues form the Indian River Lagoon system, Florida. 2007. Bulletin of Marine Science, 81: 37-54.
Fire, S.E., J.A. Browning, W.N Durden and M.K. Stolen. 2020. Comparison of during bloom and inter-bloom brevetoxin and saxitoxin concentrations in Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins, 2002-2011. Aquatic Toxicology 218 (2020) 105371.
Hunt, T.D., M.H. Ziccardi, F.M.D. Gulland, P.K. Yochem, D.W. Hird, T. Rowles and J.A.K. Mazet. 2008. Health risks for marine mammal workers. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 81:81-92.
Mendoza, L; A.F.F. Belone; R. Vilela; M. Rehtanz; G.D. Bossart; J.S. Reif; P.A. Fair, W.N. Durden; J. St. Leger; L.R. Travassos; and P.S. Rosa. 2008. Use of sera from humans and dolphins with Lacaziosis and sera from experimentally infected mice for Western Blot Analyses of Lacazia loboi antigens. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 15: 164-167.
Health as an explanatory variable
Investigating the influence of animal health on wildlife population trends and individual animal performance (e.g., diving, migration).
Aguirre, A.A., T.J. Keefe, J.S. Reif, L. Kashinsky, P.K. Yochem, J.T. Saliki, J.L. Stott, T. Goldstein, J.P. Dubey, R. Braun and G. Antonelis. 2007. Infectious disease monitoring of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 43:229-241.
Fire S.E, L. Flewelling, M. Stolen, W. Noke Durden, M. de Wit, A. Spellman, Z. Wang. 2015. A brevetoxin-associated mass mortality event of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) along the east coast of Florida. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 526:241-251.
Nollens, H.H., R. Rivera, G. Palacios, J.F.X. Wellehan, J.T. Saliki, S.L. Caseltine, C.R. Smith, E.D. Jensen, J. Hui, W. I. Lipkin, P.K. Yochem, R.S. Wells, J. St. Leger and S. Venn-Watson. 2009. New recognition of Enterovirus infections in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Veterinary Microbiology 139:170-175.
Venn-Watson, S., C. Benham, F.M.D. Gulland, C.R. Smith, J. St. Leger, P. Yochem, H. Nollens, U. Blas- Machado, J. Saliki, K. Colegrove, J.F.X. Wellehan, Jr., and R. Rivera. 2012. Clinical relevance of novel Otarine herpesvirus-3 in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus): lymphoma, esophageal ulcers, and strandings. Veterinary Research 2012 43:85. (doi:10.1186/1297-9716-43-85)
Ylitalo, G.M., M. Myers, B.S. Stewart, P.K. Yochem, R. Braun, L. Kashinsky, D. Boyd, G.A. Antonelis, S. Atkinson, A.A. Aguirre and M.M. Krahn. 2008. Organochlorine contaminants in endangered Hawaiian monk seals from four subpopulations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. MarinePollution Bulletin 56:231-244.
Yochem, P.K., F.M.D. Gulland, B.S. Stewart, M. Haulena, J.A.K. Mazet and W.M. Boyce. 2008. Thyroid function testing in elephant seals in health and disease. General and Comparative Endocrinology 155:635-640.
Yochem, P.K., B.S. Stewart, T. Gelatt, and D. Siniff. 2009. Health assessment of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Pp. 123-138 In: Diseases of Antarctic Wildlife. K.R. Kerry and M.J. Riddle (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Marine mammal stranding investigations
Documenting trends in and causes of strandings, and evaluating outcomes of rescue and rehabilitation programs.
Castellini, M.A., P.K. Yochem and J.M. Castellini. 2001. Differential concentration of glucose in red blood cells and plasma of a rehabilitating gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 277-278.
Fauquier, D.A., Kinsel, M.J., Dailey, M.D. , Sutton, G.E., Barros, N.B., Stolen, M.K., Wells, R.S., Gulland, F.M.D. 2009. Prevalence, pathology, and evidence of transplacental transfer of lungworm (Halocercus sp.) infection in bottlenose dolphins from southwest Florida. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 88:85-90.
Reidarson, T.R., J. McBain and P.K. Yochem. 2001. Medical and nutritional aspects of a rehabilitating California gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 215-221.
Rousselet, E. , M. Stolen, W.N. Durden, T. Mazza, N. Stacy, and D. Rotstein. 2018. Bilateral polycystic kidneys and focal renal cystadenoma in a pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Doi: 10.7589/2018-01-019
Stavros, H. W. Stavros, M. Stolen, W. N. Durden, W. Mc Fee, G.D. Bossart, and P. A. Fair. 2011. Comparison and Correlation of Trace Elements in Tissues from Stranded and Free-ranging Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the US Southeastern Atlantic Coast. Chemosphere, 82, 1649-1661.
Stolen M., J. St. Leger, W.N. Durden., T. Mazza, E. Nilson. 2013. Fatal Asphyxiation in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon. PLoS ONE 8(6): e66828. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066828
Zagzebski, K.A., F.M.D. Gulland, M. Haulena, M.E. Lander, D. J.Greig, L. J.Gage, M.B. Hanson, P.K.Yochem and B.S. Stewart. 2006.Twenty-five years of rehabilitation of odontocetes stranded in central and northern California, 1977 to 2002. Aquatic Mammals 32:334-345.
Aquatic animal health and epidemiology
Promoting aquatic animal health; ensuring high quality fish for replenishment of depleted stocks and for human consumption.
Burdett Hart, L., D. S. Rotstein, R.S. Wells, J. Allen, A. Barleycorn, B. C. Balmer, S. M. Lane, T. Speakman, E. S. Zolman, M. Stolen, W. McFee, T. Goldstein, T. K. Rowles, L. H. Schwacke. Skin lesions on common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from three sites in the northwest Atlantic, USA. PLoS ONE 7(3): e33081. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033081
Ham-Lamme, K.D., D.P. King, B.C. Taylor, C. House, D.A. Jessup, S. Jeffries, P.K. Yochem, F.M.D. Gulland, D.A. Ferrick and J.L. Stott. 1999. The application of immuno-assays for serological detection of morbillivirus exposure in free ranging harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the western coast of the United States. Marine Mammal Science 15:601- 608.
Quinley, N., J.A.K. Mazet, R. Rivera, T.L. Schmitt, C. Dold, J. McBain, V. Fritsch and P.K. Yochem. 2013. Serologic response of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) to vaccination with a recombinant canine distemper vaccine. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 49:579-586.
Robles-Sikisaka, R., R. Rivera, H. H. Nollens, J. St. Leger , W. N. Durden , M. Stolen, J. Burchell, J.F.X. Wellehan. 2012. Evidence of recombination and positive selection in cetacean papillomaviruses, Virology. doi:10.1016/j.virol.2012.01.039
Silbernagel, C. and Yochem, P. 2016. Effectiveness of the anesthetic Aqui-S 20E in marine finfish and elasmobranchs. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 52(1) Supplement: S96-S103.
Silbernagel, C, Clifford, DL, Bettaso, J, Worth, S and Foley, J. 2013. Prevalence of selected pathogens in western pond turtles and sympatric introduced red-eared sliders in California, USA. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 107: 37-47.
Stevens, B., Gorges, A., Silbernagel, C. 2020. Efficacy of two different doses of 10% eugenol in adult California yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis). Aquaculture Research 51: 1753-1756.
Wolski, L.F., R.C. Anderson, A.E. Bowles and P.K. Yochem. 2003. Measuring hearing in the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina): Comparison of behavioral and auditory brainstem techniques. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 113:629-637.
Worthy, G.A.J., T.A.M. Worthy, P.K. Yochem, C. Dold. 2014. Basal metabolism of an adult male killer whale, Orcinus orca. Marine Mammal Science 30:1229-1237.
Wu, Q., J. Conway, K. M. Phillips, M. Stolen, W. N. Durden, D. Fauquier, W. E. McFee, and L.Schwacke. 2016. Detection of Brucella spp. in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) by a Real-Time PCR Using Blowhole Swabs. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 120: 241–244, doi: 10.3354/dao03034
Yochem, P.K., R.C. Braun, B. Ryon, J.D. Baker and G.A. Antonelis. 2004. Contingency plan for Hawaiian monk seal unusual mortality events. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-2.
Yochem, P.K., B.S. Stewart, J.A.K. Mazet and W.M. Boyce. 2008. Hematologic and serum biochemical profile of the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris): variation with age, sex and season. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 44:911-921.