During chase and capture operations of the eastern tropical Pacific tuna purse-seine fishery,
dolphins encounter multiple stressors that may cause injury. We examined tissue samples
from 56 dolphins (26 Stenella longirostris, 28 S. attenuata, two Delphinus spp.) collected
during shipboard necropsies on tuna vessels with the objectives of defining a background of
naturally occurring disease, defining, if possible, the cause of death, and identifying any
residua of disease or injury that might be attributed to “stress” related to the current or to prior …