Small Cetacean Intervention Best Practices

These Small Cetacean Intervention Best Practices (Best Practices) highlight general procedures specific to small cetacean intervention for free-swimming but distressed animals. As pinnipeds and large whale species are significantly different in their anatomy and biology from small cetacean species, these protocols and procedures should only be used for small cetacean species, which are defined for the purposes of this document as all odontocetes excluding sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). These Best Practices also do not specifically address mass strandings of small cetaceans although some aspects in these Best Practices may be applicable in a mass stranding event. Protocols and procedures for use with large whales (all mysticetes and sperm whales) and mass stranding can be found in the NMFS Best Practice Guide for Large Whale Emergency Response and for Cetacean Mass Strandings. Additionally, these Best Practices are designed to be paired with more specific Regional Annexes to address significant issues that may exist including species-specific considerations (i.e., Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca), etc.) that are more appropriate to address at regional or state levels.