He told reporters on Saturday that investigations into marine mammal strandings are important and there are able resources and facilities that are available when needed.
“The area is ripe for the development of a full program to respond to stranded mammals,” Potter said.
“With the resources available, there’s nothing that can’t be done here on Saipan. It’s just coordinating and recognizing who’s out there and who are interested,” he added.
Potter said marine mammals that are usually stranded are whales and dolphins.
He said they continue not only to help the animal itself but the marine eco-system as well.
“What we are especially concerned about are new and emerging diseases that are showing up in the marine environment that we don’t think are there before,” Potter said.
He said the questions that are immediately involved when strandings are reported include what kind of animals are stranded, and why.
“Mammal strandings could be due to natural causes, new disease mechanisms or pathogens, and human-related trauma or human interactions,” Potter said.
He enumerated three responses to a stranding event. First, it should be reported to proper authorities. Second, the response to the event should be an investigation. And third, the results of the investigation have to be reported or published and recorded in a centralized data base.
Potter said studying strandings result in cost-effective methods when developing baseline data to determine what are its impact on the population/species, and ultimately the health of the ocean.
Potter conducted a Power Point presentation and answered questions from community members who attended his lecture at the Coastal Resources Management Office on Middle Road, Saturday. He will be staying 10 days on Guam to conduct more presentations
