About the Authors
- Stephanie Venn-Watson
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* E-mail: stephanie.venn-watson@nmmf.org
Affiliation National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Lance Garrison
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Affiliation National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Jenny Litz
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Affiliation National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Erin Fougeres
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Affiliation National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America
- Blair Mase
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Affiliation National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Gina Rappucci
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Affiliation NOAA Affiliate, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Elizabeth Stratton
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Affiliation NOAA Affiliate, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Ruth Carmichael
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Affiliation Dauphin Island Sea Lab and University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island, Alabama, United States of America
- Daniel Odell
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Affiliation Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Melbourne Beach, Florida, United States of America
- Delphine Shannon
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Affiliation Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, Mississippi, United States of America
- Steve Shippee
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Affiliations Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States of America, Marine Wildlife Response, Esther, Florida, United States of America
- Suzanne Smith
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Affiliation Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
- Lydia Staggs
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Affiliation Gulf World Marine Park, Panama City Beach, Florida, United States of America
- Mandy Tumlin
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Affiliation Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
- Heidi Whitehead
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Affiliation Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Teri Rowles
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Affiliation National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
Competing Interests
The corresponding author (SVW) was a contractor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during this study, which included work to assess potential contributors and causes of Gulf of Mexico dolphin strandings during the ongoing unusual mortality event, including marine biotoxins, infectious diseases, and environmental contaminants. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: SVW LG JL EF BM TR. Performed the experiments: SVW LG JL GR ES RC DO DS S. Shippee S. Smith LS MT HW. Analyzed the data: SVW LG JL. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: GR ES RC DO DS S. Shippee S. Smith LS MT HW. Wrote the paper: SVW LG JL EF GR RC DS S. Shippee MT TR.