ABSTRACT
Marine mammal stranding response networks, made up of individuals or groups of response organizations, have been established to coordinate responses to stranded marine mammals within a country or region. A stranded marine mammal is essentially one that appears in distress, is faltering ashore, or is a carcass (Geraci and Lounsbury 2005). Because marine mammals are often legally protected, definitions have been created to help with stranding responses and proper and humane handling of these animals. For example, in the United States, a stranded marine mammal is defined as “any dead marine mammal on a beach or floating near shore; any live cetacean on a beach or in water so shallow that it is unable to free itself and resume normal activity; any live pinniped which is unable or unwilling to leave the shore because of injury or poor health” (Wilkinson 1991).
