Features
	Aquaculture Bycatch Grants International Interests Legislation Permits Reauthorizing the Sustainable Fisheries Act Recreational Fisheries Strandings

Strandings

Strandings occur when marine mammals or sea turtles swim or float into shore and become "beached" or stuck in shallow water. In 1999 alone, more than 3000 marine mammals stranded on U.S. shores. In most stranding cases, the cause of the stranding is unknown, but some identified causes have included disease, parasite infestation, harmful algal blooms, injuries due to ship strikes or fishery entanglements, pollution exposure, trauma, and starvation. While the majority of stranded animals are found dead, some animals strand alive and in a limited number of cases it is possible to transport these individuals to regional rehabilitation centers for care.  In rare cases, successfully rehabilitated animals are returned to the wild. 

Protected Resources' Stranding Home Page How to report stranded Marine Mammals Cetacea Strandings Alaska Region's Stranding Page Northwest Region's gray whale stranding page Sea Turtles
	HOT TOPICS Update 2004 Bottlenose Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event Along the Florida Panhandle