Diet of Common Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, that Stranded in and Near Barataria Bay, Louisiana, 2010–2012

Abstract

The largest unusual mortality event of cetaceans recorded in the Gulf of Mexico occurred from 2010 to 2014. The majority of mortalities were Tursiops truncatus (Common Bottlenose Dolphin) that stranded near Barataria Bay, LA, an area heavily oiled by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The purpose of this study was to identify the diet of dolphins that stranded in and near Barataria Bay from 2010 to 2012. Micropogonias undulatus (Atlantic Croaker) was the most frequently occurring (86.5%) and numerically abundant (34.2 ± 33.4%) prey in stomachs examined. Abundance of Engraulidae, Mugilidae, and Sciaenidae varied by season. Benthic prey and presence of sediment indicate that dolphins in Barataria Bay forage along the bottom of the bay, which could lead to long-term exposure to oil.