Environment

Newfoundland Town Appeals for Help for Trapped Dolphins

by Blue Crush | February 18, 2009 at 03:02 pm

825 views | 58 Recommendations | 11 comments

Dolphins have now been freed. Please see NP story 'Local Boys' in Speedboat Free Dolphins.

Seal Cove, N.L. - The mayor of a small town in Newfoundland is pleading with the Federal Fisheries Department to come with an icebreaker to rescue five dolphins trapped behind drifting pack ice. He says no one in the town of 400 has a boat big enough to break through the 500 metres of ice blocking their escape to White Bay.

Winston May says the white-beaked dolphins appear to be exhausted and distraught now that they've been stuck in a shrinking area of open water for the past four days.
May says the animals can be heard "crying at night," which has left the town's children feeling anxious about the animals' fate.

Officials with the Fisheries Department have told him a large boat simply isn't available.

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UPDATE Feb. 19th :

Fisheries Department says that rescue experts are heading to the area to assess the situation. But Lawson says as long as the dolphins have access to air, they will be safe for a few weeks. "If these guys are in an area where they have access to air, they can go for weeks just feeding on what's around in the area," says Lawson. "And they also have a fat layer on them, so they're not in any danger of starving. It's just whether or not their air supply will be cut off if the ice freezes over."

Local MP Gerry Byrne says that breathing holes need to be created with an ice breaker, and if there are no ice breakers on the northeast coast, an icebreaker should be repositioned to the area.

Late in the day four 'Local Boys' in Speedboat Free Dolphins.

CTV link.

Thank you to April M for reporting it here first.

2 See all footage | View Slideshow

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Amy Judd

at 16:08 on February 18th, 2009

They won't get any help from the Federal Fisheries Department - they just don't care enough.

So sad though. (I moved this to environment, hope you don't mind)

Pythiian1

at 18:25 on February 18th, 2009

It is so awful to hear about these dolphins, I really hope the Fisheries Dept. will come through for the dolphins.

Thanks for the alert, Blue Crush.

Blue Crush

at 18:36 on February 18th, 2009

Thank you for comments. I think Amy is right, the Fisheries Dept. just doesn't care. But maybe with enough media coverage, they'll be shamed into rescuing them, before it's too late. (They need open water to breath)

I've just checked, it's made the news in the US and France now, where's our good ole boys like Brad Pitt?

Amy Judd

at 21:50 on February 18th, 2009

Getting ready for the Oscars?

Roy C

at 23:05 on February 18th, 2009

Some brave guy or two and some sticks of dynamite to break up that ice. That is why you need.

Blue Crush

at 08:11 on February 19th, 2009

Roy, there were some interesting comments with the CBC story. Someone suggested that dynamite might hurt their hearing. It's not all solid ice, it's more like a sludge. They're saying the icebreaker might not work either, as it pushes ice forward.

Mullins (not verified)

at 13:36 on February 19th, 2009

This is sooo sad!!! Dolphins have been known to save people from shark attacks. I hope someone comes to their rescue so they are not left to die.Thank You

harringtola

at 14:42 on February 19th, 2009

I hope evaluation will result in some solution that can be put in place within a few weeks to allow the rescue. Seems that if they have a few weeks something should be able to be done.

Blue Crush

at 15:12 on February 19th, 2009

Local news said because of developing ice last night, the area left open to them is only about the size of a swimming pool. It's day five. And yet another day has passed ...

"They seem like they're real survivors," mayor Winston May said. "There's five there altogether--well, I've seen five and some people says there's seven--but there's a couple large ones, one actually about 14 feet long, what he was doing was going about 200 feet away from the rest of the group and driving himself back up against the slab, trying to keep the slab away."

MP Gerry Byrne, who is also a marine biologist, said Thursday that if the winds don't blow the ice out of the bay, the five white- beaked dolphins may only survive for another 72 hours. He said suffocation is not the only threat they face.

``This is a really serious issue,'' he said Thursday. ``I'm very concerned that the stress levels on those (dolphins) is greatly increasing and when their heart rates accelerate and they become to exhausted, obviously they will expire. ''

A spokeswoman at Whale Release and Stranding, an independent group contracted by the government, said Thursday rescuer Wayne Ledwell was en route to White Bay to assess the situation.

Gary Tuff (not verified)

at 03:06 on February 20th, 2009

The news reports this morning that local fishermen and residents risked their boats and freed the dolphins.

Mullins (not verified)

at 06:53 on February 20th, 2009

I read where the dolphins were freed by local fishermen and residents. The residents of that community has such a wonderful heart that they cared sooo much about these dolphins that they saved them. To the residents and the Mayor I want to say Thank You!!!