Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Dolphins’

A Memorable Visit: The Bottlenose Dolphin in the South River

Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
South River Dolphin will be Remembered by Many

by David Wheeler, Executive Director

South River Dolphin Photo by David Wheeler

This time of year, many beachgoers thrill to the sight of pods of bottlenose dolphins swimming past, each animal porpoising over the moving sea’s surface before it disappears back under the surf for another few moments. Recent weeks have brought some lucky New Jerseyans the chance to watch seemingly never-ending pods of dolphins swim past, one after another like some Atlantic Serengeti.

 

About the last place you might expect to see a bottlenose dolphin is a stone’s throw from the commuters speeding past on eight traffic lanes of Route 18 on the Old Bridge – East Brunswick border in the central heart of the state, a good 20-minute drive from the nearest bay coast. Here, amidst the parking lots and criss-crossing thoroughfares and working-class stores, crowds of families and couples and kids young and old lined up two deep, day after day, last week along a narrow bridge over the South River. All to watch a wild bottlenose dolphin from a closer vantage point than most of us will ever get outside of an aquarium or amusement park.

 

Every 50 seconds or so, an anxious murmur gave way to gasps, fingers pointing, cell phone cameras clicking, and cries of “There it is!” The dolphin breached the surface for just long enough to get its necessary air – a second, two at most – before vanishing again. For several days the dolphin returned, as the media reported on it and the crowds grew larger.

 

Photo of the crowd by David Wheeler

 

While the dolphin swam underwater, talk amongst the visitors ranged from awe – “I saw it Mom!” and “He’s bigger than I thought!” – to curiosity – “Are they supposed to be here?” and “Where will it come up next?” – to emotion – “I can’t believe we’re lucky enough to see this!” and “It’s beautiful!”

 

But the discussions also presciently invoked fear and concern – “Is it sick?” “Stranded?” and “Shouldn’t it be with the other dolphins?”

 

As it turned out, the dolphin was indeed sick. It was dying. Trained volunteers tried to shepherd it out to more accommodating waters, but the dolphin couldn’t make it back out to the open water from its final resting place.

 

The dolphin was considered to be emaciated, and will be studied with a necropsy. We have no insight yet on whether the dolphin suffered from morbillivirus, a disease which has claimed the lives of hundreds of bottlenose dolphins in recent years along the East Coast.

 

My son and I watched the dolphin on a Friday evening, not long before dusk. Later that weekend I learned that the dolphin had died the very next day.

 

Yet in spending its last few days as it did, the dolphin became an unexpected guest for a local inland community that never anticipated such a marine visitor – but cherished the chance to greet it. All told, the dolphin spent much of a week in its retirement home upstream in the South River, in the shadow of Route 527 to the steady hum of Route 18 traffic, visited and admired by many hundreds of people.

 

Just like past New Jersey visitors, similar to the Trenton beluga whale and the Merrill Creek Reservoir snowy owl, the South River dolphin found an out-of-the-way place that it could call home, albeit temporarily.

 

The South River dolphin has finally moved on – but it will be remembered.

 

David Wheeler is the Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

Ebola of the Sea? Dolphins Still Dying Off Coast

Friday, November 14th, 2014

By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications Coordinator

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A live bottlenose dolphin on Tobay Beach in Nassau County, New York. (Photo Credit: APP/Riverhead Foundation for Research and Preservation)

Bottlenose Dolphins, their numbers impacted last year from a nasty virus that rivals the death rate of Ebola in West Africa, are still dying, researchers have found.

The outbreak of morbillivirus, a measles-like virus that causes pneumonia, skin lesions and brain infections, has killed roughly twice as many bottlenose dolphins as the last big outbreak in 1987-88. In New Jersey, 151 bottlenose dolphins died last year — nearly 10 times this year’s toll so far, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

Morbillivirus is highly contagious. It’s spread through respiration (via blowholes) and direct contact. Experts think the virus may also be spread through skin contact.

Asbury Park Press Reporter Todd B. Bates explores the unusual mortality event:

Learn more:

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Week (Part 5 of a 5-part Series)

Friday, May 30th, 2014

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.

This story marks the fifth of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.

Part 1, Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, on Tuesday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 3, on Wednesday, looked at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, yesterday, investigated the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. Part 5, today’s blog entry, discusses the importance of reporting marine mammal and sea turtle sightings and how to do so.


MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Reporting Your Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Sightings

By Michael J. Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager

Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) staff work with the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) to manage and populate the state’s official database of rare wildlife, known as Biotics. Currently, this database contains over 39,000 animal and plant records within New Jersey. ENSP and CWF currently collect and enter data for the state’s 182 endangered, threatened, and special concern species.whaleCWF_2014edit

Although much of the information within Biotics on imperiled species is received from CWF and ENSP biologists, a great deal of useful data is also submitted by the public since, although NJ is a relatively small state, the biologists are unable to survey all areas at all times. The biologists rely on these “citizen scientists” to help them monitor areas which they are unable to and/or locate the presence of species in areas in which they were previously unknown to occur. Wildlife watchers who observe rare wildlife may report such observations by submitting a Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form which then gets processed and mapped by CWF staff.

Rare species data within the Biotics database plays a critical role in wildlife and habitat conservation within New Jersey. It is used for a number of scientific and conservation efforts such as the state’s Landscape Project and Critical Wildlife Habitat Mapping, environmental review, research (GIS modeling), status review (determining whether a non-listed species should become listed as endangered or threatened and vice versa), and it also assists biologists in targeting future survey efforts to new areas.

A Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form – there is also a Marine Wildlife Sighting Report Form, specifically for reporting sighting of marine mammals and sea turtles. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.

Reporting your rare wildlife observation is easy. Simply complete the form, attach a map of where the animal was observed (a map is not necessary for marine sightings; geographic coordinates may be submitted instead), as well as any photographs taken, and then mail or e-mail the form and any additional documentation to ENSP at the address provided on the form. For more details about the state’s rare species mapping, please visit our webpage.

An injured seal ashore in Ocean Grove, NJ. © Michael J. Davenport

An injured seal ashore in Ocean Grove, NJ. © Michael J. Davenport

Observations of dead, dying, or stranded marine mammals or sea turtles should be reported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at 609-266-0538. Keep in mind, however, that a seal on the beach is not necessarily sick or injured. Resting on the beach is normal behavior for seals. They may haul-out onto beaches, jetties, or floating docks to rest or escape predators. So, a seal on land is not necessarily a seal in distress. Obvious indications of illness or injury are open wounds, entangled fishing line, or lack of responsiveness to their surroundings.

 

Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Week (Part 3 of a 5-part Series)

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.

This story marks the third of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.

Part 1, on Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, yesterday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 4, tomorrow, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.


MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Encounter a stranded marine mammal? Here’s how to help (Hint: Don’t try to be a hero!)

By Jennifer Dexter, Conservation Intern

Last year, over 150 marine mammal strandings occurred in New Jersey, ranging from humpback whales to harbor seals.

In order to better prepare first responders and the general public for such incidents, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ hosted the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop. For me, the biggest take home message I retained from attending this workshop was a clear one: “Don’t be the hero!”

Keeping people and their pets away from stranded marine mammals is for their safety as well as the animal's. Photo by Mike Davenport.

Keeping people and their pets away from stranded marine mammals is for their safety as well as the animal’s. Photo by Mike Davenport.

Everyone has good intentions when they attempt to ”rescue” a marine mammal stranded on the beach, but often you may be doing more harm than good. Usually, there is a good reason why the animal washed ashore, whether it be injuries or illness at fault. If you simply return the animal to the ocean, it’s likely that they will just become stranded again.

The same goes for animals in danger at sea, such as a turtle entangled in fishing nets. DO NOT go all gung-ho by jumping in the water in attempt to cut the turtle free, as you are putting the animal and yourself in danger.

Close human interaction will put the already stressed animal in defense mode. Sea turtles, such as the leatherback, can weigh more than 1,000 pounds and one thrash of their flipper can leave a human severely injured. In addition, a human can just as easily become entangled in the netting so it’s best to remain on your boat, safe out of harm’s way.

The best and most helpful thing a witness can do in New Jersey is to immediately call the Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Center (609-266-0538) and provide the following information: description of the animal, photograph from a distance, location, and description of any injuries.

Most importantly, do not touch, feed, pour water on, or cover the animal. Stand by until a MMSC staff member or local police is dispatched. From that point on, it will be up to the MMSC and the authorities to assess what measures need to be taken based on the animal’s needs. You can walk away knowing you did the right thing – and helped the animal as much as you could.

 

Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Week (Part 2 of a 5-part Series)

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.

This story marks the second of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.

Part 1 yesterday revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 3, on Wednesday, will look at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, on Thursday, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.


MARINE MAMMAL & SEA TURTLE WEEK: Ask the Experts – NOAA’s Mendy Garron sheds light on bottlenose dolphin die-off

By Stephanie Feigin, Program Coordinator

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) declared an unusual Mortality Event (UME) in early July 2013 for bottlenose dolphins along the Atlantic Coast. There have been an elevated number of strandings in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. These strandings have ranged from a few live animals to mostly dead animals and many very decomposed. These dolphins usually show lesions on their mouth, skin, joints or lungs.

Bottlenose dolphin. Photo by Cordell Brown.

Bottlenose dolphin. Photo by Cordell Brown.

In New Jersey, there have been 135 documented strandings from July 1, 2013 – April 20, 2014. Research attributes this UME to cetacean morbillivirus, a naturally occurring virus in marine mammal populations. It suppresses the immune system and affects the brain and lungs, and causes the death of the animal from other secondary infections. This virus has now affected about 50% of the coastal migratory bottlenose dolphin stock leading to the classification of “Depleted” for this stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. I spoke with Mendy Garron, the Marine Mammal Response Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, about this dolphin die-off.

CWF: What is the unusual mortality event that is occurring for bottlenose dolphins?
MendyGarron, NOAA: In July 2013, NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network partners documented an increase in bottlenose dolphin strandings occurring in the Mid-Atlantic region (New York through Virginia). Since that time, bottlenose dolphin strandings have remained elevated.

CWF: How widespread is this event? And how is it affecting the New Jersey population of bottlenose dolphins?
MendyGarron, NOAA: The increase in bottlenose dolphin stranding events has extended down through Florida. Coastal migratory bottlenose dolphins migrate south during the winter months and are located off the coast of NC, SC, GA and FL during the winter. In late spring and early summer, the dolphins will migrate back up north and be found in coastal waters of mid-Atlantic states (NY through NC).
Research efforts are underway to understand the impacts the die-off will have on the coastal bottlenose dolphin population, including those that are found in New Jersey waters.

CWF: What are the results, so far, of your investigation into this UME?
MendyGarron, NOAA: This Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been attributed to an outbreak of cetacean morbillivirus. More information on morbillivirus can be found on the following website:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html
Morbillivirus is highly contagious among animals in an infected population. The virus spreads through inhalation of respiratory particles or direct contact between animals. Animals can also be exposed to the virus through other entryways such as the eyes, mouth, stomach, skin wounds, and urogenital tract. Secondary or co-infections caused by fungus, bacteria, parasites and protozoa have also been documented in some animals.

CWF: How can we help protect the New Jersey population?
MendyGarron, NOAA: Bottlenose dolphins are faced with many negative impacts in their daily lives including, but not limited to: fishery interactions, boat strikes, and contamination. There are many things that can be done to help protect these animals. Here is a link to the NOAA Fisheries Service regional website that houses information on responsible wildlife viewing practices for dolphins, as well as guidance for recreational fishermen and boaters: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/Protected/mmp/
An informational video can also be found at: http://www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org/