Dolphin Sightings? Anyone?

The remaining dolphins have not been seen in a day or so. Today I received the following email from Teri Frady from the NOAA:

NOAA staff made observations from numerous locations along the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers today. They did not observe any dolphins. They report that during this time, the area east of the Oceanic Bridge was ice-free down to the confluence of the two rivers and northward toward open ocean. Also the Shrewsbury was free of ice from the confluence of the two rivers at least upriver to Sea Bright, where the dolphins spent considerable time this summer. If you have see the dolphins, please let us know.

If anyone has any recent information on the dolphins, please contact:
Marine Animal Stranding Station at 609-266-0538 or
Teri Frady at the NOAA: tfrady@mercury.wh.whoi.edu

In addition to her feature in the New York Times as an Edgewater Parrot defender, Alison Evans-Fragale is a Marine Animal Stranding Station volunteer. She combed the rivers today via kayak in 16 degree weather – which was even colder on the water (yup – a real “tough-cookie” Jersey Girl). After a 2 hour search she did not find any dolphins, alive or dead. Her paddle spanned the Sandy Hook Bridge south to McLoone’s in Sea Bright, and then the other side of the shore. She scanned residential beaches with binoculars and found nothing.

The Stranding Center feels their blubber is next to none now, and they cannot survive in the icy water. I’m unclear if this means they can’t make it to southern/warmer waters if they did successfully make it out of the river. A center in Florida had offered to cover the cost of a rescue operation, but the NOAA declined. But who’s to say the dolphins didn’t leave on their own after all? Since the rivers are not entirely frozen over, it makes me hopeful that the pod made an exit back to the ocean.