title: Use of Acoustic Transmitter-Equipped Remote Sedation to Aid in Tracking and Capture of Entangled California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus).
abstract: Free-ranging California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ) with marine debris entanglements were darted with a combination of medetomidine, butorphanol, and midazolam by using acoustic transmitter-equipped darts. Of the 15 animals sedated, 13 (87%) reentered the water and were tracked by using a unidirectional hydrophone. Sea lions that entered the water continued to surface and breathe postsedation. There were three mortalities (20%) during the course of this study due to the following: suspected drowning caused by entrapment under a dock, overdose due to inaccurate weight estimation, and trauma caused by a dart puncturing the animal's abdomen. The drug combination, new dart design, and tracking techniques allowed for successful remote sedation and capture of California sea lions in high-risk situations and improved our ability to determine the final outcome for all cases. These methods allow targeting and capture of individual animals, while minimizing disturbance to other animals.
authors.affiliation: 1 The Marine Mammal Center, 2000 Bunker Road, Sausalito, California 94965, USA;|2 Wildlife Health and Technology Group, 2712 Concord Avenue, Davis, California 95618, USA;
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frankfurter
authors.affiliation: 1 The Marine Mammal Center, 2000 Bunker Road, Sausalito, California 94965, USA;|3 Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 E Cotati Road, Rohnert Park, California 94928, USA;
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: DeRango
authors.affiliation: 1 The Marine Mammal Center, 2000 Bunker Road, Sausalito, California 94965, USA;
authors.forename: Shawn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000823:Animal Identification Systems / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D002077:Butorphanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D020926:Medetomidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D008874:Midazolam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D046070:Sea Lions
chemical_list: D020926:Medetomidine; D002077:Butorphanol; D008874:Midazolam
keywords: Acoustic tracking; California sea lion (Zalophus californianus); darting; disentanglement; entanglement; marine debris; pinniped; remote sedation