Navesink/Shrewsbury Dolphins

The Great Dolphin Escape

backyarddolphin — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:10:19 +0000

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

Info on River Hunting Ban Petitions

backyarddolphin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:24:15 +0000

Time is of the essence for the Navesink / Shrewsbury rivers hunting ban petitions. For more info: Peaceful Rivers blog. If you live in those areas and are interested in canvassing your neighborhood for signatures contact: peacefulriver@verizon.net

You can also contact Governor Corzine directly:
E-Mail: Jon.Corzine@gov.state.nj.us
PH: 609-292-6000
The Hon. Gov. Corzine
P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625

5 Remaining Dolphins Feared Dead

backyarddolphin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:30:03 +0000

Bob Schoelkopf, co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center fears the remaining 5 dolphins may be dead.

The remaining 5 dolphins have not been seen since Thursday 1/15 and the rivers have frozen. The weekend prior they were seen in Sandy Hook Bay, only to return to the Shrewsbury River twice (once on Saturday, once on Sunday).

If anyone has seen them since last Thursday or has found any dolphin carcasses, please reach out to the contact info posted below in “Dolphin Sightings? Anyone?”.

Since no carcasses have been found, and they showed recent interest in leaving the river, I feel it’s entirely possible that they made it to the ocean. We may not know for sure until spring.

Dolphin Sightings? Anyone?

backyarddolphin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:20:13 +0000

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.

Ban Hunting on The Navesink / Shrewsbury Rivers

backyarddolphin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:41:38 +0000

On a side note, I’d like to give a mention to the Navesink / Shrewsbury Rivers organization, Peaceful Rivers. They’ve proposed to ban bird hunting on our local rivers where the dolphins are, and with good reason.

River residents are given the morose task of disposing of the dead/dying birds who’ve wandered onto their property after being shot, and not recovered by its shooter. We can all agree that gunfire in your backyard is dangerous, let alone noisy and unnerving. There is an interesting article in today’s Hub on page 20 for more information.

Check out Peaceful Rivers blog. Please support them.

If you are interested in canvassing your neighborhood (on the Navesink / Shrewsbury rivers) with a petition to ban hunting, reach outwith a request to peacefulriver@verizon.net and you will be emailed one.

Contact Governor Corzine:
The Hon. Gov. Corzine
P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000
E-Mail: Jon.Corzine@gov.state.nj.us

Dolphin Blah Blah Blog

backyarddolphin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:36:37 +0000

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?

backyarddolphin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:47:58 +0000

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

backyarddolphin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:17:17 +0000

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

backyarddolphin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:39:55 +0000

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?

backyarddolphin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:47:42 +0000

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.