A closeup view of a bottlenose dolphin shows signs of skin lesions associated with a deadly skin disease known as ulcerative dermatitis. In collaboration with Australian researchers, The Marine Mammal Center has found that the increasing frequency and severity of storm systems drastically decrease the salinity of coastal waters, causing fatal skin disease in dolphins worldwide. .TORONTO -- Scientists at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif.
Scientists say the dolphins develop patchy lesions across their bodies and discolouration caused by a variety of fungal and bacterial species – sometimes covering up to 70 per cent of their skin. In recent years, significant outbreaks of the condition known as “freshwater skin disease” have been identified in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas and Australia. Researchers say that in all of these locations, a sudden and drastic decrease in the salinity of the waters was a common factor.