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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many of us know just how harmful fentanyl can be in humans, but what about animals? That's what several researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are peeling back the layers after finding traces of the drug in bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.

While conducting a routine boating survey in September 2020, university researchers came across a dead dolphin, floating in the water.

They took the dolphin back to their research lab. Then about two years later, they began to use the carcass for hormone blubber analysis but came across the drug instead.

"When I started this project, we did what we call an untargeted study of the blubber, where we put it in a very fancy instrument that’s able to resolve all the compounds inside. We were looking for what we actually found," Doctoral student Makayla Guinn, said.

Guinn and her team worked closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Precision Toxicological Consultancy to begin conducting a more in-depth study. They also received support from the Frazier Family Foundation, Inc.

Guinn told KRIS 6 News reporter Alexis Scott, there were more than 3,000 different compounds inside the dolphin blubber. Within those compounds were findings of several pharmaceutical drugs, including sedatives and relaxants as well.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine.

KRIS 6 News learned, at least 89 dolphin blubber samples were analyzed within the study, including 83 collected through live dolphin biopsies and six from dead dolphins. Pharmaceuticals were found in 30 of those samples. Fentanyl was found in all six of the dead dolphins, according to the publication.

The dozens of dolphins tested were selected from Redfish Bay and the Laguna Madre in Texas and the Mississippi Sound. KRIS 6 News was told dolphins are often used to examine ecosystem health in contaminant research because their blubber can store contaminants and be sampled.

“It’s not something we were looking for, so of course we were alarmed to find something like fentanyl, especially with the fentanyl crisis happening in the world right now. These drugs and pharmaceuticals are entering our water and they have cascading effects in our marine life," Guinn added.

Accompanying Guinn in the study was lead investigating researcher and marine biologist, Dr. Dara Orbach. The big question they haven't been able to answer is 'How did the fentanyl get in dolphin blubber?".

"One possibility but not the only possibility is that drugs might becoming from our wastewater," Orbach said. "It’s likely they’re getting these pharmaceuticals in their system from eating prey. Those prey being the same fish and shrimp that we’re also eating over here, considering that the Coastal Bend is such an important fishing community, locally.”

Orbach believes this discovery could lead to more wide-ranging research to trace the source of the fentanyl and limit potential damage to the ecosystem.

"Some of these samples we looked at are more than a decade old and those animals also had pharmaceuticals. So we think this is a longstanding problem that no one's been looking at," Orbach said.

Both Orbach and Guinn are in the process of furthering their research. They're hoping to bring about more awareness to the community on how important it is to preserve our wildlife."

More details on the study, "Pharmaceuticals in the Blubber of Live Free-Swimming Common Bottlenose Dolphins” can be found here.

For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Texas volleyball opened up defense of its national title with a NCAA Tournament first-round game Thursday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Gregory Gymnasium.

Can the No. 13 Longhorns (18-6) shake off an up-and-down regular season that ended with a second-place finish in the SEC and make a run at a third consecutive national championship? They looked the part in a 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Thursday, which sets up a meeting with USC in the second round Friday at Gregory Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m.

RELATED:Texas volleyball, Madisen Skinner hope to 'peak' as NCAA Tournament begins

Read below for a replay.

NCAA Tournament live updates

Texas vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi score updates

Set 3: Texas 25, A&M-CC 12

Texas completes the sweep with a dominating third set. Madisen Skinner leads Texas with 15 kills on 27 swings for an imprssive .444 hitting percentage, and middle blockers Ayden Ames and Marianna Singletary combine for 18 kills and eight blocks.

Set 3: Texas 20, A&M-CC 7

Texas vs. USC, tomorrow, 6:30 p.m. in Gregory Gym. MIght as well get ready because the Horns are rolling into what should be a fascinating matchup.

Set 3: Texas 12, A&M-CC 3

Back-to-back aces by Keonilei Akana, a block from Ayden Ames, another ace by Rella Binney and the Longhorns are already closing in on a first-round win.

Set 3: Texas 5, A&M-CC 1

The good news for the Islanders? They took their first lead of the match 1-0 to open the set. That bad news for the visitors from the Coastal Bend? Texas reeled off a 5-0 run to gain quick control of the set. Madisen Skinner (13 kills) and setter Averi Carlson (33 assisists leading the charge.

Set 2: Texas 25, A&M-CC 23

A&M-CC closed to within a point, but Texas ended the set with a backrow attack from Madisen Skinner. I don't think there's a single more effective play in the Longhorns' arsenal. Skinner is up to 12 kills with just one hitting error on 18 swings, and Texas is a set away from a meeting with USC in the second round.

Set 2: Texas 21, A&M-CC 19

The Islanders are putting up a fight. They have yet to lead in this match, but a kill from Kyndal Payne forces Texas coach Jerritt Elliott to take a timeout.

Set 2: Texas 18, A&M-CC 12

Texas setter Averi Carlson up to 24 assists (!). She's been particularly adept at the backset; A&M-CC blockers just can't get over quick enough.

Set 2: Texas 15, A&M-CC 11

The Islanders showing some fight. They closed to 12-10 but a block by Ayden Ames and a couple of miscues gives the Longhorns a cushion. Madisen Skinner up to eight kills with just one hitting error for Texas.

Set 2: Texas 9, A&M-CC 5

That's Madisen F'n Skinner, if you read the recent ESPN article. The senior has seven kills on nine swings with just one hitting error. Ayden Ames getting into the action with five kills. All Texas so far.

Set 1: Texas 25, A&M-CC 11

The Longhorns made quick work of A&M-Corpus Christi that first set. Averi Carlson (14 assists) spread the wealth with four Longhorns getting multiple kills, including four each from Madisen Skinner and Reagan Rutherford

Set 1: Texas 19, A&M-CC 8

Averi Carlson is picking the Islander defense apart. The Texas setter has 11 assists and the Texas attack looks unstoppable early in this match.

Set 1: Texas 11, A&M-CC 4

The Longhorns are off to a hot start with seven kills and just one error on 10 swings. No one hotter than Reagan Rutherford, who just put down her third kill on a slide pass from Averi Carlson.

Regular lineup for Texas

No surprises in the starting lineup for Texas. Head coach Jerritt Elliott going with Madisen Skinner, Reagan Rutherford and Jenna Wenaas on the outside, Ayden Ames and Marianna Singletary at the middles, Emma Halter at libero and Averi Carlson at setter.Ally Batenhorst, USC will face tonight's winner

USC swept UT-Arlington 26-24, 25-7, 25-21 in the first match Thursday at Gregory Gymnasium, which means the Trojans will face the winner of tonight's match tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The winner of Friday's contest advances to the Penn State regional next weekend.

USC (22-9) went 13-7 in the Big 10 this season and leaned on Ally Batenhorst, who had a game-high 15 kills and four blocks.

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Catherine Ann (Marshall, ’94) Rudowsky’s career journey in higher education “had a wonderful start at AU.”

“I think the single greatest thing I learned is critical thinking,” said the 1994 Ashland University graduate who was recently named the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “I also gained confidence while at AU. Like most college students, those years are an opportunity to grow and identify with yourself more as an adult than a teen. Ashland University was a great place to experience that transition and maturation.”

After leaving AU with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in political science, Rudowsky worked for a basketball agent in San Francisco, as an accounting clerk while getting her Master of Library and Information Science and at special libraries (NASA Glenn Research Center and hospital libraries) before settling on higher education.

“In special libraries, you are often part of a small team or even a solo librarian,” she said. “I craved a larger team with more opportunities, so I moved into academic libraries.”

Her career in higher education, which has included several authored or co-authored publications and earning an MBA, as well as a Ph.D. in communication media and instructional technology, has been in two places.

First, she was at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania for 10 years as the business librarian and then the library faculty chair the last few years she was there.

For the past 10 years, she has led the libraries at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and also served as the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts for one year before her latest appointment in October.

“I had an amazing team in the library, and we built a student-centered thriving environment that is bustling,” Rudowsky said about her second higher education stop. “In that role, I had many opportunities to work collaboratively across the campus, and I am honored to now work in a broader leadership role.”

Several people at Ashland University had a profound impact on Rudowsky during her time on campus in the early 1990s, including Professor of English Russell Weaver, who has been teaching at AU since 1986.

“I remember getting back my first serious college-level paper from Dr. Russell Weaver and the encouragement I received,” Rudowsky said. “The paper was on ‘Frankenstein,’ one of my favorite books, and I was a sophomore. I was terribly nervous, and Dr. Weaver gave me wonderful feedback and encouragement. I think he saw something in me and was able to communicate that to me.

“That solidified my remaining an English major and gave me confidence,” she added. “It also serves as an example of the lasting impact faculty can have and what sets excellent faculty apart. I appreciate faculty who take the time to provide meaningful feedback; it has a huge impact on students.”

The Ashbrook Scholar who received a Presidential Scholarship to attend AU from a small town in central Pennsylvania also said one of her best memories was watching “Monty Python” with one of Weaver’s British Literature courses outside of class.

“Experiences like this help to build communities of scholars and engage students in learning outside of the classroom without them even realizing they are learning,” Rudowsky said. “Really, all of the English faculty left an impact on me in one way or another.

“The faculty I encountered at Ashland were caring and passionate, and they had a great influence on me,” she added. “Class sizes were small enough to have meaningful conversations and to build relationships with other students and with faculty.”

Rudowsky, who also credited the Writing Center staff that she worked with while she was at AU as a positive influence in her life, hopes “to have an impact that goes further” with her new position.

“It is definitely an adjustment, both in terms of responsibility and pace,” she said about being the provost and VP of Academic Affairs. “That also means it provides motivation and energy, and I am excited for the future.”

She enjoys looking back to when her journey in higher education began on the campus of Ashland University.

“Some of my best memories are just sitting around dorm lobbies chatting with the amazing life-long friends that I made,” Rudowsky said, “and dreaming about our futures.”

Some of those samples being found near Redfish Bay and the Laguna Madre.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new study from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi shows that dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico are exhibiting traces of fentanyl in their blubber. Researchers analyzed 89 dolphin blubber samples.

Some of those samples were collected near Redfish Bay and the Laguna Madre.

"We found the presence of fentanyl in a dolphin that we had collected that was stranded in Baffin Bay Texas," said Texas A&M University PHD student Makayla Guinn, who was a graduate assistant on the case study titled “Pharmaceuticals in the Blubber of Live Free-Swimming Common Bottlenose Dolphins."

Guinn said that she along with her colleagues were alarmed by their findings. She said that since the discovery is still new, there's still much to do before they can properly make sense of them.

"We were not able to confidently quantify the pharmaceuticals that we found. They were below what we call our limit of quantification. However they were high enough for us to detect them," Guinn said.

Dolphins play a vital role in whatever environment they find themselves in. Due to that fact, Guinn said that finding traces of fentanyl inside the dolphins blubber, regardless of quantity, was enough to raise concerns.

"For there to be drugs in a dolphin means that the drugs are either in the water, or they're in the prey that they're consuming," Guinn said.

Surfrider Foundation Bluewater Taskforce Coordinator Tommy Shilts has conducted numerous water tests in our area. He said that there are a few ways the dolphins could've gotten the fentanyl in their system.

"Sometimes vessels sink. Sometimes evidence is thrown overboard," Shilts said.

While Shilts has tested various bodies of water ranging from Mustang Island, Padre Balli Park, and both JP Luby, he said the findings are ",shocking but it's not surprising because anything we get going into the waterways is going to get into people and sea life."

Guinn said that now that she and her colleagues are aware of of the fentanyl levels, adjustments can be made in their research to better understand how such a harmful drug could find itself in one of the gulf's most beloved creatures.

"We're going to look deeper at very specific compounds that we would expect to find based on their chemical properties and their ability to accumulate in the blubber tissue of dolphins," Guinn said.

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"[The Harbor Bridge] She's served the Coastal Bend well, she's nearing the end of her life, but we want to keep her in service for at least another year."

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The morning commute over the Harbor Bridge came to a crawl Wednesday as the bridge undergoes its annual inspection.

It's a process that will require lane closures through next week which is why TxDOT is stressing the importance of staying alert as work gets underway.

Drivers found themselves stuck in that bumper to bumper traffic Wednesday morning as they slowly inched their way over the Harbor Bridge heading toward Portland.

Traffic was backed up almost to Morgan Avenue at one point.

The congestion is part of lane closures associated with the inspection process.

TxDOT spokesperson Rickey Dailey said drivers will find lane closures for the middle and right side of the northbound lanes of Hwy 181.

The inside left lane will remain open.

The daily closure will continue through Dec. 7, then will shift to the southbound lanes from Dec. 8 - 12.

Dailey had this advice for drivers: "Slow down, plan their trips, there will be delays and be patient."

So why does the bridge need inspection?

Dailey said there are federal requirements to inspect the bridge every year.

"But then every two years we have a more in-depth inspection and that's what is occurring right now," he said. "They're looking for rust, checking the bolts and where the steel members connect."

The current Harbor Bridge is 65 years old and is approaching its end of life, which is why a new bridge had to be constructed.

"She's served the Coastal Bend well, she's nearing the end of life, but we got to keep her in service for at least another year," Dailey said. "And that's what these inspections do, these inspections help prolong the life of that bridge."

Meantime, the new Harbor Bridge is looking at a late spring opening to traffic, but there will be a period of overlap with both bridges in use.

"Connectivity will continue on the current Harbor Bridge as it will be the only access to North Beach until we complete the alignment of 181," Lynn Allison with Flatiron/Dragados previously told 3NEWS. "And then at that point, about six weeks to two months after opening the new bridge, then we will close the existing current bridge to traffic and begin the decommissioning of the current bridge."

The current inspection of the Harbor Bridge will run from 9 a.m. -4 p.m. daily through Dec. 12.

An alternate route for drivers is the Joe Fulton Corridor.