The Great Dolphin Escape
January 23, 2009
Some good news in: the following email came in on 1/23/09 from the NOAA’s Teri Frady:
NOAA’s NJ dolphin website has been updated with photographs from our January 13 observation trip. NOAA scientists reported that the five animals (NJ02, NJ03, NJ07, NJ09, NJ12) present in the Shrewsbury River were behaving normally and were in apparent good body condition: http://tinyurl.com/b3v5t9
In recent days we’ve spoken with one eyewitness who was with a group of people when he saw multiple animals leaving the Shrewsbury River on Thursday morning (Jan 15) by swimming under the bridge and into Sandy Hook Bay, apparently headed for open ocean. At present, the location and condition of 13 of the original 16 animals is unknown. Without confirmed resightings, it is not possible to know if they are alive or dead, still in the river system or elsewhere. Aside from the eyewitness account, there have been no confirmed sightings since Jan 13.
NOAA will conduct a thorough water-based survey of the Shrewsbury-Navesink as soon as weather and icing conditions permit.
Eyewitness accounts of dolphins seen leaving the area on Thursday have appeared in local papers: http://www.themonmouthjournal.com/
Also in the Two River Times published in yesterday’s issue for the week of January 23 -30, to be posted to the website next week: http://www.tworivertimes.com/
We urge anyone who sees, or has seen, the dolphins since January 13, to let us know at nj.dolphins@noaa.gov
Entry Filed under: Removing dolphins from river. Tags: backyard dolphin, dolphins are alive, dolphins make it to ocean, dolphins make it to sea, dolphins survive winter, January 2009, january 23 2009, Monmouth County, Navesink dolphins, NJ, Rumson, Sandy Hook, Sea Bright, shrewsbury river dolphins.
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