Daily relative dog abundance, fecal density, and loading rates on intensively and minimally managed dog-friendly beaches in central California

Stori C Oates; Melissa A Miller; Dane Hardin; Clare Dominik; David Jessup; Woutrina A Smith

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.062

Daily relative dog abundance, fecal density, and loading rates on intensively and minimally managed dog-friendly beaches in central California

Mar Pollut Bull. 2017 Dec 15;125(1-2):451-458. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.062.

Authors

Stori C Oates¹, Melissa A Miller², Dane Hardin³, Clare Dominik³, David Jessup⁴, Woutrina A Smith⁵

Affiliations

¹ One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, 1451 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA. Electronic address: scoates@ucdavis.edu.
² One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, 1451 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA. Electronic address: melissa.miller@wildlife.ca.gov.
³ Applied Marine Sciences, 911 Center Street, Suite A, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
⁴ California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, 1451 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
⁵ One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Electronic address: wasmith@ucdavis.edu.

PMID: 29100633
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.062

Abstract

Due to increased concerns regarding fecal pollution at marine recreational beaches, daily relative dog abundance and fecal density were estimated on an intensively managed (Beach 1) and a minimally managed (Beach 2) dog beach in Monterey County, California. Fecal loading and factors predictive of fecal deposition also were assessed. After standardizing for beach area, daily beach use and fecal densities did not differ between beaches and yearly fecal loading estimates revealed that unrecovered dog feces likely contributes significantly to fecal contamination (1.4 and 0.2metrictonnes/beach). Detection of feces was significantly associated with beach management type, transect position relative to mean low tideline, presence of beach wrack, distance to the nearest beach entrance, and season. Methodologies outlined in this study can augment monitoring programs at coastal beaches to optimize management, assess visitor compliance, and improve coastal water quality.

Keywords: Dog feces; Fecal density; Fecal loading; Non-point pollution sources; Recreational beach; Relative dog abundance.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bathing Beaches*
California
Dogs*
Environmental Monitoring
Feces*
Seasons