Environment DEC
From the February 2007 issue
DEC Aids Dolphin Rescue Effort on Long Island
When weather has been unusually warm, as it had been until mid-January, schools of food fish like mackerel and herring that normally would have migrated to warmer waters months ago, linger in the North Atlantic to provide a smorgasbord for scores of dolphins and whales off the tip of Long Island. And so it was that around January 11, residents of East Hampton on Long Island's Northwest Creek were treated to a rare natural spectacle, a large pod of dolphins close to shore.
The Exciting News Spread Fast
Crowds of people watched with delight as dozens of the gregarious sea mammals cavorted within a stone's throw of shore. News of the enchanting visitors spread quickly and media from the Long Island area as well as nearby New York City reported on the phenomenon. A local environmental group, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation (see their website link below), recorded the dolphins sounds with an underwater microphone called a hydrophone. Local grade school children on an impromptu field trip were enthralled listening to the clicks and squeals of the dolphins as they spoke to one another in the shallows near shore.
DEC staff worked with a number of organizations to rescue the dolphins
The Mood Quickly Changed
A couple of days would pass before it became apparent that several of the dolphins were trapped by the tide in a shallow inlet area called Northwest Creek. The mood quickly changed from one of elation to one of alarm. DEC's Region 1 Natural Resources Supervisor Chuck Hamilton was contacted to organize a rescue effort to free the trapped creatures before they stranded themselves in desperation. By January 14, Hamilton organized a unified command of various federal, state and local government personnel, as well as volunteers and staff from the Riverhead Foundation.
A Rescue Flotilla is Deployed
Seven shallow-draft boats were launched and crewed with would-be dolphin herders from DEC, the Riverhead Foundation, East Hampton Town Marine Patrol, New England Aquarium and National Marine Fisheries Service. The U. S. Coast Guard supplied a large patrol vessel which remained in Northwest Harbor and the East Hampton Police provided their dive boat and divers for safety purposes. A team of seven DEC Environmental Conservation Officers from the Division of Law Enforcement and the Marine Enforcement Unit supplied three boats and crews, as well as participating in two helicopter overflights of the area with the Suffolk County Police.
The crews were equipped with devices ranging from electronic pingers to steel pipes and hammers, crews created an invisible underwater web of noise to drive the trapped animals out of the creek and into open water. "It's like shoveling smoke," said Hamilton. All the commotion designed to free the dolphins also causes them distress, so rescuers had to be careful not to over stress the creatures. Darkness and blustery water conditions provided natural breaks for the animals to calm down between rescue attempts. Different dolphin species respond differently to the herding technique. These were common dolphins, smaller and with more distinctive markings than the bottlenose dolphins made famous on TV and at theme parks.
The Drama Concludes with Mixed Results
Eight dolphins were freed as result of all the hard work by the rescuers. Operations were suspended January 19 due to cold temperatures and high winds. Over the course of the ordeal, eleven dolphins died. Necropsies haven't been able to establish an exact cause of death, but preliminary examinations found empty stomachs and low glucose levels in the blood of the animals that were examined.
Though disappointed by the losses, Riverhead Foundation's President Chuck Bowman said, "When dolphins become entrapped, rescue efforts hardly ever work. But we've at least been able to save eight of them-and I can't feel bad about that."
Editor's Note: This story was compiled from DEC field reports and stories in "Newsday" and the "East Hampton Star."
