A mass stranding of the remaining nine dolphins in the Shrewsbury River could result in several being euthanized, officials said Tuesday.
Because of limited food supplies and cold waters, which are both current factors in the river, a mass stranding preparation meeting is slated for Friday, Dec. 12, officials said.
A major problem with any stranding plan, according to Marine Mammal Stranding Center Director Robert Schoelkopf, is the limited space to hold any rescued mammals.
“There’s no place to put them,” Schoelkopf explained, adding that there is space for only two at a New York facility.
“That almost certainly means that if more than two [strand,] a decision will have to be made to euthanize, rather than place them somewhere else,” Schoelkopf explained.
Currently, nine of the 12 dolphins are accounted for, Schoelkopf said. Two died earlier during the season, and several had previously gone missing.
A group of the mammals was recently spotted within 75 feet of the Route 36 bridge, which connects Highlands and Sea Bright boroughs, but there was no visual confirmation that any made it through, he said.
Three of the dolphins could not be accounted for as of press time, according to Schoelkopf.
The director said MMSC was hopeful that the dolphins would have gone under the bridge and out to sea last weekend, since construction work on the bridge was silenced for those two days.
As of press time, the waters were 34 degrees Fahrenheit and the southern part of the river was reportedly freezing. The optimal temperature for the pod is 57 degrees, Schoelkopf said.
Further, a main concern previously expressed by national experts was the migration of menhaden fish, which was the dolphins’ main source of food when they entered the river during the summer.
Schoelkopf said there haven’t been any reports on the preferred prey, but that it has apparently left the river, which diminishes the amount and type of food available for the pod.
As far as the physical conditions of the animals, he said it was difficult to tell if there are any changes; specifically, because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is in charge, has not been forthcoming with photographs for comparison, he added.
Schoelkopf said his hands are tied unless there is a stranding, since NOAA is the lead agency and it is not moving forward with an intervention.
Schoelkopf is hoping the dolphins find their way to warmer waters, as others of the species have done already. Otherwise, the alternate ending is not so bright.
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