Unusual Mortality Events of Harbor Porpoise Strandings in North Carolina, 1997–2009

Table 2

Specific gross necropsy findings by system for the six harbor porpoises with submitted tissues for histopathologic evaluation. Each porpoise is listed by its field identification number. Cells for human interaction (HI) evidence are listed as follows: HI-FI (evidence of fishery interaction), HI-No (no evidence of HI), and HI-CBD (could not be determined).

System affected	JND003	KMS387	KMS389	KMS404	KMS417	MLC001
Body-general	—	—	Emaciation	—	Emaciation	Emaciation
Cardiovascular	—	—	—	—	—	—
Digestive	—	—	—	—	—	—
Endocrine	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hemato/lymphoreticular	—	—	—	—	—	—
Hepatobiliary	—	—	—	—	Focal biliary hyperplasia	—
Integumentary
Scavenger damage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HI evidence	HI-CBD	HI-CBD	HI-CBD	HI-FI	HI-FI	HI-No
Interspecific aggression evidence	CBD	CBD	No	CBD	Yes	No
Other	—	—	Adherent material on fluke	—	Penetrating wound near blowhole	—
Musculoskeletal	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nervous	—	—	—	—	—	—
Reproductive	—	—	—	—	—	—
Respiratory	Pulmonary edema	—	Verminous pneumonia	—	—	—
Sensory	—	—	—	—	Ears-pooled blood
Stomach contents	Full	Empty	Empty	Empty	Empty	Empty
Urinary	—	—	—	—	—	—