Studying the Dolphins Off New Jersey

common dolphin Delphinus delphis - NOAA via Wikimedia

Dolphins are dying or being stranded in high numbers this summer along the mid-Atlantic coast, and New Jersey is seeing particularly high rates. Mendy Garron, the Northeast regional stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains what could be killing the dolphins and what it means for humans.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for bottlenose dolphins in the Mid-Atlantic region from early July 2013 through the present. Elevated strandings of bottlenose dolphins have occurred in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Bottlenose dolphin stranding in NJ. Photo: Marine Mammal Stranding Center via NOAA

Current bottlenose dolphin strandings are over seven times the historical average for the month of July for the Mid-Atlantic Region. All age classes of bottlenose dolphins are involved and strandings range from a few live animals to mostly dead animals with many very decomposed.

According to NOAA, there are "no unifying gross necropsy findings although several dolphins have presented with pulmonary lesions. Preliminary testing of tissues from one dolphin indicates possible morbillivirus infection, although it is too early to say whether or not morbillivirus may be causing this event. Based on the rapid increase in strandings over the last two weeks and the geographic extent of these mortalities, an infectious pathogen is at the top of the list of potential causes for this UME, but all potential causes of these mortalities will be evaluated. Work is underway to determine whether an infectious agent affecting these dolphins is present in collected tissue samples."

Dolphins in New Jersey are not endangered pr threatened. The bottlenose dolphin, tursiops truncatus, are a marine mammal that has the conservation status of "Special Concern."

New Jersey’s coastal waters are home to the coastal form of bottlenose dolphin who prefer marine waters relatively close to shore and over the continental shelf. They will also occasionally enter bays and estuaries in search of prey. Besides the Atlantic Ocean, they have been observed in Delaware and Raritan Bays as well as semi-enclosed water bodies such as Barnegat and Great Bays and the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers.

They typically are found in New Jersey waters between spring and fall, but may rarely be observed during winter as well. They are migratory and spend their winters as far south as North Carolina. New Jersey and New York waters represent the northern extent of the range for the coastal form along the US Atlantic coast.

Here's a segment from The Brian Lehrer Show (WNYC) on this issue.



More on NJ dolphins

Honey Bees

National Honey Bee Day was August 17. Did you celebrate?

Well, you should have because honey bees pollinate many of our important food crops. Apples, broccoli and blueberries and plenty of others. And then there is that honey!

You might have read that there have been many problems with bees in New Jersey and across the country. Scientists are still not sure if the cause (or causes) are fungal, viral or from toxic pesticides.

In case you have ever thought about having your own hive, the  NJ Beekeepers Association has chapters throughout the state.

Update: Summer Dolphin Deaths

Photo: media.nj.com/star-ledger/

As we reported earlier, there have been an unusually high number of dolphin deaths off our coast this summer. Three dolphins were found deceased Friday in Seaside Heights, Longport, and Stone Harbor and more were reported Saturday at the Jersey Shore. These were severely decomposed dolphins that washed ashore in Long Beach Township and Upper Township.

The total for NJ is 52 since July 9 and about 150 dolphins have been recovered at beaches between New York and Virginia since July.

Robert Schoelkopf, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, told the press that in Ocean City last week a shark took a bite out of a dying dolphin struggling in knee-deep water. "We were lucky because just before the dolphin appeared, we had a severe lighting storm and lifeguards blew their whistles to get people out of the water. Someone in the crowd wading in the water could have been bitten."

Responders from the Center do not enter the water to recover sea life, but wait for the animal to wash ashore.

"Strandings" are when live animals are captured, weighed, tagged, possibly treated and then released, so these dolphin cases are not part of that category.

Although some of the dolphins have tested positive for morbillivirus, a naturally occurring virus in dolphin populations, the cause of this summer's number of deaths is still not confirmed. Because dolphins swim close together in pods, diseases spread between animals when they surface to breathe.

There is no evidence so far that the deaths this summer are in any way related to water quality or represent a danger to humans.

More dead dolphins wash ashore, cause still unclear
Jersey Shore Dolphin Deaths Not Related to Water Quality
Another dolphin death in Ocean City

NJ WILD Outdoor Expo

The NJDEP's fourth annual NJ WILD Outdoor Expo will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 14-15, at the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in Jackson Township, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, rain or shine.

This fun-filled family event is designed for visitors to discover new ways to appreciate and enjoy New Jersey's great outdoors. Participants have an opportunity to try a broad spectrum of outdoor activities such as fishing, kayaking, hiking, shooting sports, rock climbing, camping skills, off-road bicycling, geocaching and wildlife watching. Demonstrations of sporting and tracking dogs, historical re-enactments, SCUBA dives, turkey calling, nature photography and much more await.

Admission and parking are free. Most activities are free, except for a few that are offered for a modest fee.

The WILD Outdoor Expo is hosted by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, Division of Parks and Forestry, the Green Acres Program and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. The event also has several sponsors, and exhibitors and vendors from the field of outdoor recreation will be on site. Food vendors will also participate; you are welcome to bring and enjoy your own in the picnic tent.

For more information visit http://www.wildoutdoorexpo.com

Investigating Unusual Number of Dolphin Deaths This Summer

One of two dolphins stranded on a Ocean Ciyt beach this summer
Photo: shorenewstoday.com

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has reported that it is monitoring an unusually high number of dolphin deaths that have been reported over the past several weeks and is working with the nonprofit Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine to better understand the cause of the mortalities.

While the underlying cause of the deaths has not been confirmed, they appear to be part of a natural disease cycle and not related to water quality, which has been excellent this summer.

Since July 9, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center has responded to 21 dolphin deaths along the New Jersey coast. Necropsy results available so far have confirmed that four of the dolphins died of pneumonia. Federal officials are looking into larger than normal numbers deaths of dolphins in New Jersey and other Mid-Atlantic states, although at this time it is not known if there is any connection.

Twenty bottlenose dolphins and one common dolphin have been reported dead or dying on or near beaches scattered from Monmouth County to Cape May County. Dolphins of varying sizes and ages have been affected. The public is advised not to approach dead or dying dolphins.

“We are offering whatever assistance we can, including the use of our conservation officers and our boats to recover dolphins as we work to understand the cause of these deaths,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Chief Mark Chicketano.

Morbillivirus, a naturally occurring virus in dolphin populations, was confirmed in one of the recovered dolphins. Results are pending on additional dolphins to help determine if morbillivirus is present in those animals. Morbillivirus was linked to the deaths of 90 dolphins in 1987 off New Jersey.

“Dolphins swim close together in pods. Diseases spread between animals when they surface to breathe,” said Robert Schoelkopf, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. “There is no evidence that the deaths we are seeing this summer are in any way related to water quality.”

The state’s Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program, a joint state, local and federal effort, conducts routine testing of bathing beaches. Water quality has been excellent, with no closures of ocean beaches due to elevated bacteria levels.

Noting that there’s an increased risk of sharks feeding on dead or dying dolphins, Schoelkopf strongly cautioned the public not to approach the animals or attempt to bring them ashore. Pets should also be kept away from them.

If you see a dead or dying dolphin, contact the Marine Mammal Stranding Center’s 24-hour hotline at (609) 266-0538.

NJ Gets Federal Grants to Protect Habitat in Sussex County

Bog turtle with its distinctive orange patch on the head

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has been awarded two federal grants totaling $440,000 to be earmarked for the purchase of 164 acres of sensitive habitat in Sussex County that will particularly target preservation and protection of the endangered bog turtle population in New Jersey.

The awards from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will partially finance purchases of two separate tracts, both of which will provide connecting greenways for existing turtle populations, and which will benefit other plant and animal species in the region. In addition, the land preservation would add to existing nature watching areas in Sussex County.

“Continued preservation of key open spaces in New Jersey, whether for habitat protection or recreational uses, is a priority of the Christie Administration,’’ said Commissioner Bob Martin. “It enhances our environment and provides a better quality of life for our state’s residents.’’

“Preservation of this type of very specialized, unique habitat not only will protect the federally threatened bog turtle, offering it a brighter future in New Jersey, but will add to preserved lands that will be available for recreational pursuits, such as hiking and bird watching,’’ added Dave Chanda, Director of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The purchase of these properties will improve habitat connectivity, as they connect to approximately 350 acres of already permanently preserved property owned by the state.

The federal money, coming from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species fund, would pay about 40 percent of the estimated $950,000 cost of the land preservation in Lafayette and Wantage Township, with the state’s Green Acres Program financing the balance.

One $400,000 federal grant will be used towards acquisition of four tracts, totaling 143.6 acres, of existing bog turtle habitats, while also connecting to land already preserved by the state. A second $40,000 federal grant will target the purchase of 20 acres of bog turtle habitat within a unique spring-fed wetland complex, in an area that also hosts a rare plant, the spreading globe flower.

Bog turtle nesting

The bog turtle is quite elusive behavior and rare as a result of habitat destruction. It prefers marshes, wet meadows, and fens featuring plant species such as sedges,rushes, mosses, skunk cabbage, cattail, jewelweed, and smartweed. If you do spot one, it is likely to be in mid-April through June as it basks in the sun.

Their range is throughout NJ and they were once abundant throughout the state. Bog turtles are now primarily found in the remaining rural areas of Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Salem counties. Intense land uses such as large-scale agriculture, urbanization, wetland alterations and stormwater outputs are incompatible with bog turtles and have depleted bog turtle populations from much of the state.

The properties also provide landscape-level protection for upland forest and grassland habitats, thus conserving the hydrology and water quality of the wetlands.

The preserved lands will be managed by the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust in cooperation with the DEP’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program. Management of the property will include removal of woody vegetation to establish a more open canopy and ensuring that a proper wetlands area exists for the bog turtle population.

For more information on the state’s Threatened and Endangered species, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensphome.htm


SOURCE: http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2013/13_0078.htm