Dolphins in NJ River Likely to Perish If They Are Not Relocated Now

PRESS RELEASE

Sea Bright, New Jersey - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is standing in the way of the rescue of a pod of bottlenose dolphins, currently in the cold waters of the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers in Monmouth County, NJ. Now, as winter approaches there is fear that these dolphins will drown if the river ices over or when there food source runs low. It is suspected that the pile driving, jack hammering and barges at the Highlands Bridge construction site may a reason these dolphins haven't departed for warmer waters by now.

The dolphins were first seen in the river this year back in May. Thousands of boaters, kayakers and paddlers have come from near and far for an opportunity to see these beautiful creatures up-close. It is estimated that there are still 10-12 animals remaining. Two of animals from this pod have already died and at least two are unaccounted for. One autopsy showed the cause of death was from a fungal pneumonia the other was inconclusive

The Marine Mammal Conservancy, a research and rescue group based in Key Largo, Fla., and three similar organizations want to come to New Jersey and remove the remaining dolphins from the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers. "I have no doubt that we could do this successfully," said Robert Lingenfelser, president of the group that claims a 63 percent success rate in saving stranded marine mammals. "We want to help, and we know how to help."

Teri Frady, a spokeswoman for NOAA, which has jurisdiction over the animals, acknowledged receiving the groups' offer, but said it is not needed now. "We are not seeking help to mount an intervention and would not authorize others to mount such an attempt at this time," she said in an e-mail.

There are three viable plans that could be implemented to assure the dolphins have a chance of survival. The first option would be to shut down the Highlands Bridge Construction Project for a 10-14 day window to see if a prolonged 'noise-free' period would allow the dolphins to instinctively move up the river through the construction zone and out into the Raritan Bay and eventually to the open ocean. According to Andrew Mencinsky, Executive Director of Surfer's Environmental Alliance(SEA) and Sea Bright resident, "I have seen the dolphins ever closer to the bridge when the pile driver was offline for repairs these past 5 days. This morning, when the pile driver was back in action, the dolphins moved deeper into the river away from the noise. Not a likely coincidence."

The second option would involve the use of acoustics to lure the dolphins up past the bridge and into the bay. This has proven effective in other instances. SEA volunteers would use stand-up paddle boards and kayaks to move the equipment into position so the dolphins aren't frightened off by the sound of motors. This option would be potentially most successful if implemented at the end of the bridge construction closure window.

The third option would be to allow an organization, like The Marine Mammal Conservancy, to orchestrate a removal and possible relocation of the animals from the river. This success rate of the option is dramatically higher when the dolphins are in healthy shape.

With the water temperature already in the mid 30's and bridge construction continuing 5-6 days per week, history may repeat itself if action is not taken now. In 1993, after similar calls to action to rescue 4 dolphins from this same body of water, it wasn't until ice formed on the river surface that any rescue attempts were made by NOAH. At that point, it was too late. A few fishing boats along with the aid of the NJ State Police tried to cut a path through the ice in hopes the dolphins would escape to the bay. The four dead dolphins were removed and it was determined that the cause of death was drowning.

A panel of NOAA specialists were on a conference call last night, December 17th to present their findings concerning the dolphins and to field questions. A large part of the information presented was historical in nature and not relevant to this pod or body of water. None of the panelists could truly say they were familiar with this pod or body of water. But more importantly than the data only showing what was observed, none of the panelists could offer a solution to the inevitable -- what is the plan when the river freezes over and the food source runs out? "It is not a very deep river and therefore can freeze quickly as it has in the past years. Regardless of the current dolphin health, data shows that as the water temperature drops, so do food supplies. And this situation is different than in 1993 because of the bridge construction noise." said Mencinsky.

The question on everyone's mind is, 'Why is NOAA waiting so long to act, just like they did in 1993?' This is an example of big government tying the hands of local and national conservation and activist groups for the wrong reasons. These dolphins need our help and they need it now.

Please join representatives from Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.'s office

Senator Sean Kean

Senator Jennifer Beck

Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action and others