{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T21:53:48Z","timestamp":1791237228512,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Wildlife Disease Association","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The western population segment of the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) has experienced significant population declines. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is studying the ecology and health of the population. We describe the use of butorphanol-midazolam-medetomidine (BMM) in the capture of free-ranging Steller sea lions. This combination is advantageous as the animals retain their breathing reflex and float at the surface if entering water after darting, and it is fully reversible. Sea lions were darted when resting on haulouts. The majority (45\/55) of the adult female sea lions received 75 mg butorphanol, 75 mg midazolam, and 20 mg medetomidine (n=44) or 18 mg medetomidine (n=1), whereas 10\/55 were immobilized with lower doses: 30\u201362.5 mg butorphanol, 45\u201362.5 mg midazolam, and 9\u201318 mg medetomidine. Time from dart to approach was a mean of 19.7 min (range 9\u201345 min). The mean mass of the 29\/55 sea lions where weights were obtained was 292.3 (range 205.5\u2013380.5), and the mean drug dose administered in the dart to these was 0.23 mg\/kg (range 0.13\u20130.36 mg\/kg) butorphanol, 0.25 mg\/kg (range 0.18\u20130.36 mg\/kg) midazolam, and 0.07 mg\/kg (range 0.04\u20130.10 mg\/kg) medetomidine. No mortalities were noted. Twenty of the 55 sea lions were administered an additional 30\u2013100 mg butorphanol, 37\u201375 mg midazolam, and 3\u201313 mg medetomidine after approach to achieve adequate sedation for handling. Forty-two of 55 sea lions were intubated and maintained on isoflurane and oxygen, whereas 13 were maintained on injected drugs alone. Of these 13 animals, five received supplementary oxygen. Early in the immobilization, heart rates, and blood oxygenation (SpO2) were significantly lower in the sea lions that received supplementary drugs (P&lt;0.05), and sea lions not receiving supplementary oxygen were hypoxemic. The immobilization was reversed with atipamezole, naltrexone, and flumazenil intramuscularly. The mean time from reversal to ambulatory was 11 min (range 2\u201342 min). In conclusion, BMM was efficacious for immobilization of free ranging Steller sea lions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.7589\/jwd-d-25-00123","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T05:56:11Z","timestamp":1776664571000},"page":"360-369","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["IMMOBILIZATION OF FREE-RANGING STELLER SEA LIONS (EUMETOPIAS JUBATUS) WITH BUTORPHANOL-MIDAZOLAM-MEDETOMIDINE"],"prefix":"10.7589","volume":"62","author":[{"given":"Annette","family":"Roug","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1801 S Margaret Dr., Palmer, Alaska 99645, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kimberlee","family":"Beckmen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Rd, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justin","family":"Jenniges","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 802 3rd St, Douglas, Alaska 99824, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martin","family":"Haulena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, 845 Avison Way, Vancouver, British Columbia V6G 3E2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lori","family":"Polasek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1255 W 8th St, Juneau, Alaska 99802, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Rauchenstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1801 S Margaret Dr., Palmer, Alaska 99645, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Rehberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 333 Raspberry Rd, Anchorage, Alaska 99518, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4415","reference":[{"key":"1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"G Frankfurter, E DeRango, S Johnson,  \"J Wildl Dis.\"  52, \"Use of acoustic transmitter-equipped remote sedation to aid in tracking and capture of entangled California sea lions (Zalophus californianus).\" 730 (2016)","DOI":"10.7589\/2015-10-274"},{"key":"2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"BR Gardner, B Spolander, SM Seakamela, et al.  \"J S Afr Vet Assoc.\"  92, \"Disentanglement of Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) with reversible medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol.\" 2119 (2021)","DOI":"10.4102\/jsava.v92i0.2119"},{"key":"3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"KK Hastings, TS Gelatt, JM Maniscalco, et al.  \"Front Mar Sci.\"  10, \"Reduced survival of Steller sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska following marine heatwave.\" 1127013 (2023)","DOI":"10.3389\/fmars.2023.1127013"},{"key":"4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Haulena,  \"Zoo animal and wildlife immobilization and anesthesia.\"  \"Otariid seals.\" 481 (2014)","DOI":"10.1002\/9781118792919.ch47"},{"key":"5","unstructured":"M Haulena  and T Schmitt  \"CRC Handbook of marine mammal medicine.\"  \"Chapter 26. Anesthesia.\" 567 (2018)"},{"key":"6","unstructured":"R Heath, D Calkins, D McAllister, et al.  \"J Zoo Wildl Med.\"  27, \"Telazol and isoflurane field anesthesia in free-ranging Steller's sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus).\" 35 (1996)"},{"key":"8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"LA Lamont  and KA Grimm  \"Zoo and wildlife immobilization and anesthesia.\"  \"Chapter 1: Clinicalpharmacology.\" 1 (2025)","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119539278.ch1"},{"key":"9","unstructured":"TR. Loughlin,  \"Biosphere conserv.\"  1, \"The Steller sea lion: a declining species.\" 91 (1998)"},{"key":"10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"SR Melin, M Haulena, W Van Bonn, et al.  \"Mar Mamm Sci.\"  29, \"Reversible immobilization of free-ranging adult male California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus).\" 529 (2013)","DOI":"10.1111\/mms.12017"},{"key":"11","unstructured":"RL Merrick, TR Loughlin, DG Calkins,  \"US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Memo. NMFSAFSC.\"  68, \"Hot branding: a technique for long-term marking of pinnipeds.\" 21 (1996)"},{"key":"12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"MA Pascual  and MD Adkison  \"Ecol Appl.\"  4, \"The decline of the Steller sea lion in the northeast Pacific: Demography, harvest or environment?\" 393 (1994)","DOI":"10.2307\/1941942"},{"key":"13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"GW Pendleton, KW Pitcher, LW Fritz, et al.  \"Can J Zool.\"  84, \"Survival of Steller sea lions in Alaska: a comparison of increasing and decreasing populations.\" 1163 (2006)","DOI":"10.1139\/z06-103"},{"key":"14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"PJ Ponganis, BI McDonald, MS Tift, et al.  \"Mar Mamm Sci.\"  33, \"Effects of inhalational anesthesia on blood gases and pH in California sea lions.\" 726 (2017)","DOI":"10.1111\/mms.12388"},{"key":"15","unstructured":"LP. Posner,  \"Veterinary pharmacology and herapeutics.\"  \"Chapter 14. Sedatives and tranquilizers\" 324 (2018)"},{"key":"16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"KL Raum-Suryan, LA Jemison, MJ Rehberg, et al.  \"Mar Mamm Sci.\"  41, \"The first satellite flipper tag deployments on Steller sea lions allow tracking beyond the annual molt.\" e70010 (2025)","DOI":"10.1111\/mms.70010"},{"key":"17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"JD Sheldon, MJ Adkesson, MC Allender, et al.  \"J Wildl Dis.\"  55, \"Measurement of intraocular pressure using rebound tonometry in anesthetized free-ranging South American sea lions (Otaria byronia).\" 885 (2019)","DOI":"10.7589\/2018-08-207"},{"key":"19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"RL Storlund, DAS Rosen, M Margiocco, et al.  \"J Zoo Wildl Med.\"  52, \"Cardiac examinations of anesthetized Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), and a walrus (Odobenus rosmarus).\" 507 (2021)","DOI":"10.1638\/2020-0054"},{"key":"20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A Trites  and C Donnelly  \"Mamm Rev.\"  33, \"The decline of Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus in Alaska: A review of the nutritional stress hypothesis.\" 3 (2003)","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2907.2003.00009.x"},{"key":"21","unstructured":"AW Trites  and PA Larkin  \"Aqua Mamm.\"  22, \"Changes in the abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska from 1956 to 1992: How many were there?\" 153 (1996)"},{"key":"23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"J Wang, K H\u00fclck, SM Hong, et al.  \"Environ pollut.\"  159, \"Accumulation and maternal transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea, Alaska.\" 71 (2011)","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2010.09.022"},{"key":"22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"E VanWormer, JAK Mazet, A Hall, et al.  \"Sci Rep.\"  9, \"Viral emergence in marine mammals in the north Pacific may be linked to Arctic sea ice reduction.\" 15569 (2019)","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-019-51699-4"},{"key":"18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"LH. Spelman,  \"J Zoo Wildl Med.\"  35, \"Reversible anesthesia of captive California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) with medetomidine, midazolam, butorphanol, and isoflurane.\" 65 (2004)","DOI":"10.1638\/01-102"},{"key":"24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"H. Wickham,  \"ggplot2: elegant graphics for data analysis.\"  (2016)","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-24277-4"},{"key":"7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"R Kumar, M Singh, NK Verma, et al.  \"Indian J Anim Res.\"  54, \"Systemic effects and clinical application of medetomidine in animals: a review.\" 1063 (2020)","DOI":"10.18805\/ijar.B-3864"}],"container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T21:02:54Z","timestamp":1791234174000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bioone.org\/journals\/journal-of-wildlife-diseases\/volume-62\/issue-2\/JWD-D-25-00123\/IMMOBILIZATION-OF-FREE-RANGING-STELLER-SEA-LIONS-EUMETOPIAS-JUBATUS-WITH\/10.7589\/JWD-D-25-00123.full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7589\/jwd-d-25-00123","relation":{},"ISSN":["0090-3558","1943-3700"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0090-3558","type":"print"},{"value":"1943-3700","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]]}}}