Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata cultured on a low maintenance line nursery design in The Bahamas.

Acroporid corals are one of the most important corals in the Caribbean because of their role in building coral reefs. Unfortunately, Acropora corals have suffered a severe decline in the last 50 years thus prompting the development of many restoration practices, such as coral nurseries, to increase the abundance of these species. However, many coral nursery designs require constant visits and maintenance limiting restoration to more convenient sites.

PRESENTATION AND MANAGEMENT OF DENTAL PAD FRACTURES IN TWO FLORIDA MANATEES ().

The Florida manatee () has well-developed keratinized dental pads at the most rostral aspect of their mouth to assist with mastication. This unique development is thought to be an adaptive response to their highly abrasive diets that contain phytoliths and sediments that may accelerate dental wear. In May 2013, two Florida manatees presented with multiple fractures in their inferior dental pads.

The Use of Bacteriophages and Immunological Monitoring for the Treatment of a Case of Chronic Septicemic Cutaneous Ulcerative Disease in a Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta.

In this case study, phage therapy was applied to treat a multidrug-resistant case of septicemic cutaneous ulcerative disease (SCUD) caused by Citrobacter freundii in a loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta. Phages were applied topically, intravenously, into the carapace, and into the exhibit water using various phage cocktails specific to the causative agent over an 8-month period. This was performed in conjunction with antimicrobial therapy.

Spawning of French grunts, , in recirculating aquarium systems.

Background: Because the French grunt, , is an ecologically important reef fish prized by both recreational anglers and public aquariums, the wild population requires limits on harvests. Yet, the environmental conditions conducive for French grunt spawning in aquarium settings is not well understood. Therefore, the goal of this study was to document the conditions leading to voluntary spawning and the number of eggs produced by French grunts without the use of hormones or artificial insemination

Methods: We hypothesized and verified that it is possible for French grunts to spontaneously spawn in human care.

Swimming and diving energetics in dolphins: a stroke-by-stroke analysis for predicting the cost of flight responses in wild odontocetes.

Exponential increases in hydrodynamic drag and physical exertion occur when swimmers move quickly through water, and underlie the preference for relatively slow routine speeds by marine mammals regardless of body size. Because of this and the need to balance limited oxygen stores when submerged, flight (escape) responses may be especially challenging for this group. To examine this, we used open-flow respirometry to measure the energetic cost of producing a swimming stroke during different levels of exercise in bottlenose dolphins ().

Praziquantel degradation in marine aquarium water.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is a drug commonly utilized to treat both human schistosomiasis and some parasitic infections and infestations in animals. In the aquarium industry, PZQ can be administered in a "bath" to treat the presence of ectoparasites on both the gills and skin of fish and elasmobranchs. In order to fully treat an infestation, the bath treatment has to maintain therapeutic levels of PZQ over a period of days or weeks.

Nutrition and health in amphibian husbandry.

Amphibian biology is intricate, and there are many inter-related factors that need to be understood before establishing successful Conservation Breeding Programs (CBPs). Nutritional needs of amphibians are highly integrated with disease and their husbandry needs, and the diversity of developmental stages, natural habitats, and feeding strategies result in many different recommendations for proper care and feeding. This review identifies several areas where there is substantial room for improvement in maintaining healthy ex situ amphibian populations specifically in the areas of obtaining and utilizing natural history data for both amphibians and their dietary items, achieving more appropriate environmental parameters, understanding stress and hormone production, and promoting better physical and population health.

Leaping forward in amphibian health and nutrition.

The Epidemiology Working Group, a subgroup of the participants of the Disney's Animal Kingdom Workshop on "Ex situ Amphibian Medicine and Nutrition," identified a critical need to design and implement approaches that will facilitate the assessment and evaluation of factors impacting amphibian health. In this manuscript, we describe and summarize the outcomes of this workshop with regards (a) the identified gaps in knowledge, (b) identified priorities for closing these gaps, and (c) compile a list of actions to address these priorities. Four general areas of improvement were identified in relation to how measurements are currently being taken to evaluate ex situ amphibian health: nutrition, infectious diseases, husbandry, and integrated biology including genetics and endocrinology.

Intestinal and cloacal strictures in free-ranging and aquarium-maintained green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Intestinal or cloacal strictures that resulted in intestinal obstruction were diagnosed in six green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from three rehabilitation facilities and two zoologic parks. The etiologies of the strictures were unknown in these cases. It is likely that anatomic adaptations of the gastrointestinal tract unique to the green sea turtle's herbivorous diet, paired with causes of reduced intestinal motility, may predispose the species to intestinal damage and subsequent obstructive intestinal disease.

Mycobacterium abscessus pneumonia in an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Mycobacterium abscessus pneumonia was diagnosed antemortem in a 23-yr-old male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Clinical signs included lethargy, hyporexia, coughing, and bloody respiratory discharge. Diagnostic findings included neutrophilic leukocytosis, anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and repeated forceful exhaled breath (sputum) cytology, with acute inflammatory cells and acid-fast positive beaded rods.

Effects of full-stream carbon filtration on the development of head and lateral line erosion syndrome (HLLES) in ocean surgeon.

Head and lateral line erosion syndrome (HLLES) is a common but very poorly understood disease of marine aquarium fish. One suspected etiology is the use of granulated activated carbon (GAC) to filter the water. Seventy-two ocean surgeons Acanthurus bahianus were distributed among three carbon-negative control systems and three GAC-treated systems such that each tank contained approximately the same total body mass.

Genetic evidence highlights potential impacts of by-catch to cetaceans.

Incidental entanglement in fishing gear is arguably the most serious threat to many populations of small cetaceans, judging by the alarming number of captured animals. However, other aspects of this threat, such as the potential capture of mother-offspring pairs or reproductive pairs, could be equally or even more significant but have rarely been evaluated. Using a combination of demographic and genetic data we provide evidence that i) Franciscana dolphin pairs that are potentially reproductive and mother-offspring pairs form temporal bonds, and ii) are entangled simultaneously.

Fish sedation, analgesia, anesthesia, and euthanasia: considerations, methods, and types of drugs.

Fish display robust neuroendocrine and physiologic stress responses to noxious stimuli. Many anesthetic, sedative, or analgesic drugs used in other vertebrates reduce stress in fish, decrease handling trauma, minimize movement and physiologic changes in response to nociceptive stimuli, and can be used for euthanasia. But extrapolating from limited published anesthetic and sedative data to all fish species is potentially harmful because of marked anatomic, physiologic, and behavioral variations; instead, a stepwise approach to anesthetizing or sedating unfamiliar species or using unproven drugs for familiar species is advisable.

Morbidity in a juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) due to ocean-borne plastic.

An emaciated 2.36-kg juvenile green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, was found floating off of Melbourne Beach, Florida, USA (28 degrees 2'4"N, 80 degrees 32'32"W). The turtle exhibited signs of cachexia, positive buoyancy, lethargy, and obstipation; was covered with barnacles; and was anorexic at the time of presentation.

Treatment factors influencing the use of recombinant platelet-derived growth factor (Regranex) for head and lateral line erosion syndrome in ocean surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus).

The clinical efficacy of becaplermin (Regranex, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., Raritan, New Jersey 08869) on head and lateral line erosion syndrome (HLLES) in ocean surgeonfish (Acanthurus bahianus) was examined in a two-part study to determine suitable application frequencies of the drug and the effects of the environment on outcome of treatments. In the first part of the study, 12 ocean surgeonfish with prior HLLES were equally divided into three treatment groups, varying in application frequency of becaplermin: 1) one application, 2) three applications every 3 wk, and 3) no applications.

Relationship between barnacle epibiotic load and hematologic parameters in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), a comparison between migratory and residential animals in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina.

Health status of a total of 57 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta; 42 migratory and 15 residential turtles) was analyzed using body condition and hematologic parameters. A subset of 18 juvenile migratory loggerhead sea turtles in the fall of 1997 and 15 residential turtles in the summer of 2000 were analyzed for barnacle epibiota. The migratory group had significantly higher red blood cell counts and percent heterophils and significantly lower percent lymphocyte and absolute eosinophil counts, as well as significantly lower plasma concentrations of calcium, sodium, chloride, potassium, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, and anion gap.

Pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) after single intravenous and intramuscular injections.

The pharmacokinetics of oxytetracycline in 2-yr-old loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) after single i.v. and i.

Associations between organochlorine contaminant concentrations and clinical health parameters in loggerhead sea turtles from North Carolina, USA.

Widespread and persistent organochlorine (OC) contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides, are known to have broad-ranging toxicities in wildlife. In this study we investigated, for the first time, their possible health effects on loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Nonlethal fat biopsies and blood samples were collected from live turtles for OC contaminant analysis, and concentrations were compared with clinical health assessment data, including hematology, plasma chemistry, and body condition.

Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) after single intravenous and intramuscular injections.

The pharmocodynamics of single injections of florfenicol in yearling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) were determined. Eight juvenile loggerhead sea turtles weighing 1.25 (+/- 0.

Ovariectomy in a brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).

A 1.7-kg mature, female brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) was diagnosed with egg retention. Eggs could not be manually stripped and so were surgically removed.

Medetomidine, ketamine, and sevoflurane for anesthesia of injured loggerhead sea turtles: 13 cases (1996-2000).

Objective: To determine safety and efficacy of an anesthetic protocol incorporating medetomidine, ketamine, and sevoflurane for anesthesia of injured loggerhead sea turtles.

Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: 13 loggerhead sea turtles.

Prevalence of Sarcocystis sp. in stranded Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus).

In January 1998 and 1999, two mass strandings of dolphins occurred in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The strandings were composed of 97 and 53 animals, respectively. Tissues from 35 Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus) from the 1998 stranding and 52 from the 1999 stranding were examined histologically.