The Great Dolphin Escape

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

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.

Dolphin Blah Blah Blog

Last night’s NOAA meeting about the dolphins sounded like quite a soiree. Work kept me from attending, but I’m interested in feedback. If anyone was able to attend the last NOAA meeting, we welcome you to post your interpretation of the event.

Our dolphin blog had it’s 15 minutes of fame in Wednesday’s NJ.com blog – about, well…blogs.

Baby Steps Back to The Ocean?

Monday’s (1/12/09) story on NJ12 News claimed that 3 of the remaining dolphins were seen in Sandy Hook bay. This is apparently not the pod’s first attempt to leave according to the Huffington Post article. They were seen trying to cross on Saturday and again on Sunday.

I’ve heard on NJ12 that they were in the bay, which I assume meant they crossed the bridge. But maybe I’ve misinterpreted what is considered “the bay” – meaning where the bay starts/ends. Regardless, the dolphins hightailed it back into the Shrewsbury River. 

 Has anyone heard anything about the bridge construction ceasing? The contractor of the bridge has agreed to cease work on the bridge for the dolphins to leave. What’s the hold up?

NJ Senator Robert Menendez has been calling on the NOAA to act. He’s pushing for the removal of the dolphins. His contact information can be found in the Links section to the right of this post.

5 Dolphins Remain in Navesink/Shrewsbury Estuaries

As just seen on the Channel 4 News, 8 of the dolphins (and their conditions) are now unaccounted for. It’s very likely that they’ve successfully made it back to sea. Of the remaining 5 dolphins 2 may be showing signs of weight loss. However, they are all still engaging in feeding behavior.

The coverage stated that the NOAA still has no plan of removing the remaining dolphins. According to the APP article, the NOAA is coordinating with conservation organizations to prepare for possible strandings or even deaths. However, they still do not feel the dolphins “are candidates for intervention and relocation”.

The NOAA has been very responsive to my email inquiries. I recently received an email from Teri Frady regarding the current status of the dolphins:

“These animals are not candidates for relocation now for the same reason they were not candidates before: we do not improve their prospects by attempting to force them from the area.

Distance, numbers, acclimation to the area, high likelihood of mortalities in a relocation attempt argue against it, and there is no evidence that they are out-of-habitat, trapped, stranded, or injured. What we have been doing is protecting their ability to use the very instincts and behaviors that also ensure the long-term health and survival of individuals in the larger population. They may fail, but that too is a common and important pattern in nature. NOAA cares about the survival of dolphins and is expressing this concern by allowing nature to guide this event rather than launching a human intervention that is unlikely to improve prospects for these particular animals in any way.“

Congressman Pallone & Senator Menendez are beginning to pressure the NOAA to change their stance on the matter.

Dolphin #3 Found Dead on Christmas Day

Another dolphin is found dead in Sea Bright after having been deemed “healthy” by the NOAA just a week earlier. This dolphin was a pregnant female who had stopped eating. It’s too early to confirm if the dolphin was ill or if food supplies are running low. This is the 3rd dolphin to be sent off to the University of PA Veterinary School for an autopsy. 

Bob Schoelkopf, co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, notes the dolphins now have a roommate: A harbor seal frolicking in the southern end of the Shrewsbury River in the Monmouth Beach area. It’s suggested this may be a sign that the eatin’ is still good in the river. Should this also be a sign of shark presence as well?

After hearing arguments to leave the dolphins vs. escort them out of the river, I sit on the fence for the most part – except that the Navesink & Shrewsbury rivers can freeze solid.

On the positive side, examples of dolphins over wintering in various rivers (including Scotland) show that dolphins can withstand much colder temperatures than we realized. 

But in the end this “river freezing over thing” is the game changer for me. On the NOAA’s story time list of “Happy Dolphins Over Wintering in A Happy Snowy River” stories there are also some very tragic ones where entire pods have frozen to death – as in right here in our own rivers in 1993. 

Then there’s the tragedy in Matagorda Bay, Texas, where a sudden freeze killed 26 dolphins in January 1990. It was determined the freeze had killed off their food supply as well.

The latest in for the “Escorting The Dolphins Back to Sea” camp:

- Multiple dolphin rescue groups with high success rates in dolphin transport/stranding have offered their services to the NOAA to assist in escorting the dolphins out. The NOAA has declined.

- The Rt. 36 bridge contractor has offered to cease construction for 2 weeks, giving the dolphins time to make it out on their own if it is indeed the construction noise keeping them from exiting. Why has this not happened?

- Our Senator and Congressman are both concerned about the pod and would like to see them rescued. Why isn’t anything else being done?

This year seems a cold one, and although I’m not usually a bettin’ gal, I’m betting “ice” this year. Great for ice boaters. Bad for dolphins.

Should the dolphins be removed or should we cross our fingers and hope for the best? Which camp are you and why?

If anyone has any pictures of our dolphins they’d like to post here you can send them to me at crazydolphinlady@gmail.com

NOAA Phone Meeting – Post Game Thoughts?

After listening to the NOAA phone meeting, I can’t say I came away feeling any better about the situation. When the meeting was opened to the public, questions were asked that were – in my opinion – dodged by moderators. I did find it interesting that dolphins can withstand colder temperatures than previously thought – but they still can’t survive being trapped under ice.

I was pleased to hear Congressman Frank Pallone & Senator Sean Kean call in to the meeting to voice their concern.

Senator Sean Kean is supportive of moving the dolphins as stated in his press release. According to this release, the bridge contractor has agreed to halt construction if it will facilitate the dolphins’ exit.

Contact Senator Sean Kean: SenSKean@njleg.org

Contact Congressman Frank Pallone. An article from 10/10 on his website supports removing them.

Did anyone else hear the meeting? If not, you can listen / download it here. Let us know what you think.

Conference Audio & Report Info

Listen to audio file from last night’s phone conference here

View Navesink / Shrewsbury River report here. 

Other information on the dolphins including the necropsy report can be viewed on the bottom right side of the NOAA web page under Seminar Materials

TONITE: 12/17 Phone Conference Open to The Public

Tonite we’re all invited to a question & answer session regarding our local Navesink & Shrewsbury river dolphins. 

Topics will include the pod’s health risks, behavior, bridge construction noise, and the biopsy results of 2 other dolphins found dead in the river this fall.

The telephone conference call will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., participants can call (800) 369-3371. The passcode is dolphin.

Information on the panelists and seminar materials can be found on the NOAA website at www.nefsc.noaa.gov/njdolphins after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Questions can be emailed to NOAA at nj.dolphins@noaa.gov.

An article in today’s Asbury Park Press mentions the NOAA’s refusal for aid from other animal rescue groups. I’m looking forward to hearing their reasons in tonite’s phone conference.

Is Bridge Construction Keeping Dolphins in River?

According to The Associated Press, it’s assumed that some of the Navesink / Shrewsbury River dolphins may have made it out of the river.

On Saturday, dolphins were seen around the Route 36 bridge (Sea Bright / Highlands). Bob Schoelkopf, co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, said the animals looked like they wanted to go under the bridge and back out to the open waters of Sandy Hook Bay.

Schoelkopf also stated that some of the young dolphins appeared hesitant to go under the span, where noisy repair work is going on above.

“It looked like they were really trying to get out,” Schoelkopf said. “I have a feeling it might be a problem with the juveniles afraid to go through” the channels under the bridge. They were moving around erratically, and there was some tail-slapping, which is a sign of aggravation,” he said.

With freezing temperatures and parts of the river icing over, federal wildlife authorities now fear the group may freeze to death in the frigid waters like the 1993 Shrewsbury dolphins.

Well now. Nice to see we’re all finally on the same page.

According to the Marine Animal Stranding Station website (click on “Articles” link), the NOAA has rejected help from 4 marine animal groups in Florida which have offered to help rescue the pod. I don’t know what they’re waiting for…

The Brigantine Marine Animal Stranding Station & the NOAA are preparing for a mass stranding scenario, where all the dolphins become distraught and beach themselves. They are prepared for one dolphin stranding, but a mass stranding will be taxing on the rescuers and what limited resources they have. Additional resources will be needed and there are not many facilities that can take more than 2 dolphins at a time.

If bridge construction is to blame, why has the NJ Dept. of Transportation dragged their heels for so long to halt construction to let the dolphins out? Could it possibly take more than a few days?

I can’t give any explanation as to why this wasn’t an option months ago, and even more so why it was never executed. However, here’s how you can contact the NJDOT to voice concern. 

NJ Dept. of Transportation
contact form: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/contact/
Erin Phalon 609-530-4280

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Or contact Governor Corzine to halt bridge construction so they can leave:
PH: (609) 777-2500

Gov. Corzine online form & instructions http://www.state.nj.us/governor/about/contact/index.html
1. Choose “Natural Resources” from the form drop menu. 
2. Then choose “Fish, Game & Wildlife” from the next drop menu.
3. Fill out form
4. Save dolphins.
5. Feel good.