Bahamas Writer
11-09-02, - 10:43 PM
Following is a matter of grave concern, brought to our attention by Mrs. Sam Duncombe of reEarth. This serious issue has also received wide coverage in the media.
From Sam Duncombe, reEarth:
MORE than 20 bottlenose dolphins died in a mass stranding in Long Island that has left fisheries experts very concerned .
As of Monday, 22 of the 40 mammals had died in the shallow flats between Deadman s Cay and Mangrove Bush, the Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding Network reported yesterday.
Bottlenose dolphins are not known to strand and given the number this is a mass stranding, Eleanor Phillips of the Department of Fisheries told The Tribune on Monday.
We are very concerned.
The stranding is the first of its kind in the Bahamas, although a similar event was recorded in the Florida Keys several years ago, she said.
An aerial survey conducted Sunday morning indicated that the remaining dolphins seen in the shallows about five feet deep that were danger of being trapped had moved out of the area.
At this time the cause of the stranding is not known, said a statement released by BMMSN.
Fisheries officials yesterday were not offering any theories on the reason for the stranding but neither were they ruling anything out.
However, Ms Phillips did note that a stranding caused by any unnatural influence would usually result in more than one species being affected.
Only bottlenose dolphins were stranded.
A US National Marine Fisheries Service officer and an assistant were in Long Island on Saturday to help Deadman s Cay residents with the stranding. Bahamas National Trust education officer Lynn Gape and Ms Phillips communicated throughout the day with island fisheries officials.
Eleven of the dead dolphins were neoropised and skull and skin samples have been taken to Florida for tests.
It was unclear yesterday when the tests would be completed or when the results would be available.
Yesterday, local residents and fishermen who were vigilant and greatly assisted the network in its efforts, continued to monitor the area, commonly used by children and bonefish anglers, for any additional activity.
Judith Knowles of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, who was heavily involved in the incident over the weekend said a group of fishermen first reported the dolphin sightings about three weeks ago.
She said dolphins had been spotted in the area before but none had ever died.
Said fisherman Colin Cartwright: I first saw (the dolphins) on October 14, and between me and the others we counted 40 living in total at the time.
The first dolphin corpse was spotted on October 21, and a couple of days later fishermen started to spot more, Mr Cartwright told The Tribune.
That is when concerned residents and fishermen notified the Department of Fisheries.
The first time I saw one I thought a boat had hit and killed it and then we started to find a bunch of them all over the place, said Mr Cartwright.
I've been fishing for 16 years and I ve never seen anything like it.
Mr Cartwright was asked to supply officials with GPS coordinates of where the dead dolphins were spotted.
The largest dolphin was about nine feet in length, said Ms Knowles. The area where the mammals stranded was described by residents as quite wide , surrounded by dikes with muddy waters.
It was really sad to see, said Ms Knowles.
As concern grew over the weekend residents pitched in to help.
One resident donated the use of a single engine plane for an aerial search.
Residents said they had no idea what could have caused the stranding, but said it reminded them of the whale strandings in the northwest Bahamas in March 2000.
Fourteen whales beached in shallow waters off Freeport, Eleuthera, and Abaco.
Five of the mammals died from what was eventually discovered to be the effects of United States Navy sonar testing.
Brian Bachman, public affairs officer at the United States Embassy told The Tribune yesterday that he was not aware of any testing anywhere in Bahamian waters, adding that naval exercises are usually done in the Tongue of the Ocean.
The US Ambassador to the Bahamas, J Richard Blankenship, had pledged that naval sonar technology would not be used in the Bahamas again.
One theory being considered behind the stranding is a natural occurrence where the younger dolphins in the pod may have followed the older, larger dolphins into the land locked area and were unable to get out.
A source familiar with the stranding said the incident could have started about a month ago.
Now residents are concerned about the bacteria that could have been left behind by the rotting carcasses.
Officials are asking residents to be cautious even though there is no record of disease being transmitted from a dead dolphin to a human.
The Department of Fisheries is trying to send a representative to Long Island for further investigations.
The BMMSN is a partnership between the Bahamas Department of Fisheries and the Bahamas National Trust coordinating stranding information and offering assistance to communities regarding stranding marine mammals in the Bahamas. Marine mammal researchers and marine agencies both local and international are members of the network.
Sam Duncombe
reEarth
Box N203
Nassau, The Bahamas
Ph 242 393 7604
reearth@batelnet.bs
Dear Sam,
Erskine and I were very sad to learn about this, especially as Erskine knows the area well and has a deep respect for the sea and its inhabitants (he was born and brought up in Mangrove Bush, Long Island).
I don't know if this is of any help, but following is what Erskine says about the tragedy:-
He's surprised the dolphins went into those waters, as the water was shallow and must have been quite warm. However, they may have got lost and "wandered" into the narrow channel at Conch Point. There is just one channel from Conch Point up to Benzy Hill and there's no way out. It's a dead end. He says it's a pity no one spotted the dolphins from the air and were able to get them escorted back out. People could have made noise on the water to make them turn around.
We hope the U.S. Ambassador sticks to his promise. It will be disastrous to our resources and the beauty of our waters if United States Navy sonar testing commences.
I am posting this in http://www.BahamasIssues.com as this is a very serious matter that all of us should be concerned about.
With best wishes in your tireless efforts to save our environment and its defenceless creatures,
Fay
http://www.bahamaswriter.com
"An informal guide & source of inspiration
for new & not so new writers worldwide"
From Sam Duncombe, reEarth:
MORE than 20 bottlenose dolphins died in a mass stranding in Long Island that has left fisheries experts very concerned .
As of Monday, 22 of the 40 mammals had died in the shallow flats between Deadman s Cay and Mangrove Bush, the Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding Network reported yesterday.
Bottlenose dolphins are not known to strand and given the number this is a mass stranding, Eleanor Phillips of the Department of Fisheries told The Tribune on Monday.
We are very concerned.
The stranding is the first of its kind in the Bahamas, although a similar event was recorded in the Florida Keys several years ago, she said.
An aerial survey conducted Sunday morning indicated that the remaining dolphins seen in the shallows about five feet deep that were danger of being trapped had moved out of the area.
At this time the cause of the stranding is not known, said a statement released by BMMSN.
Fisheries officials yesterday were not offering any theories on the reason for the stranding but neither were they ruling anything out.
However, Ms Phillips did note that a stranding caused by any unnatural influence would usually result in more than one species being affected.
Only bottlenose dolphins were stranded.
A US National Marine Fisheries Service officer and an assistant were in Long Island on Saturday to help Deadman s Cay residents with the stranding. Bahamas National Trust education officer Lynn Gape and Ms Phillips communicated throughout the day with island fisheries officials.
Eleven of the dead dolphins were neoropised and skull and skin samples have been taken to Florida for tests.
It was unclear yesterday when the tests would be completed or when the results would be available.
Yesterday, local residents and fishermen who were vigilant and greatly assisted the network in its efforts, continued to monitor the area, commonly used by children and bonefish anglers, for any additional activity.
Judith Knowles of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, who was heavily involved in the incident over the weekend said a group of fishermen first reported the dolphin sightings about three weeks ago.
She said dolphins had been spotted in the area before but none had ever died.
Said fisherman Colin Cartwright: I first saw (the dolphins) on October 14, and between me and the others we counted 40 living in total at the time.
The first dolphin corpse was spotted on October 21, and a couple of days later fishermen started to spot more, Mr Cartwright told The Tribune.
That is when concerned residents and fishermen notified the Department of Fisheries.
The first time I saw one I thought a boat had hit and killed it and then we started to find a bunch of them all over the place, said Mr Cartwright.
I've been fishing for 16 years and I ve never seen anything like it.
Mr Cartwright was asked to supply officials with GPS coordinates of where the dead dolphins were spotted.
The largest dolphin was about nine feet in length, said Ms Knowles. The area where the mammals stranded was described by residents as quite wide , surrounded by dikes with muddy waters.
It was really sad to see, said Ms Knowles.
As concern grew over the weekend residents pitched in to help.
One resident donated the use of a single engine plane for an aerial search.
Residents said they had no idea what could have caused the stranding, but said it reminded them of the whale strandings in the northwest Bahamas in March 2000.
Fourteen whales beached in shallow waters off Freeport, Eleuthera, and Abaco.
Five of the mammals died from what was eventually discovered to be the effects of United States Navy sonar testing.
Brian Bachman, public affairs officer at the United States Embassy told The Tribune yesterday that he was not aware of any testing anywhere in Bahamian waters, adding that naval exercises are usually done in the Tongue of the Ocean.
The US Ambassador to the Bahamas, J Richard Blankenship, had pledged that naval sonar technology would not be used in the Bahamas again.
One theory being considered behind the stranding is a natural occurrence where the younger dolphins in the pod may have followed the older, larger dolphins into the land locked area and were unable to get out.
A source familiar with the stranding said the incident could have started about a month ago.
Now residents are concerned about the bacteria that could have been left behind by the rotting carcasses.
Officials are asking residents to be cautious even though there is no record of disease being transmitted from a dead dolphin to a human.
The Department of Fisheries is trying to send a representative to Long Island for further investigations.
The BMMSN is a partnership between the Bahamas Department of Fisheries and the Bahamas National Trust coordinating stranding information and offering assistance to communities regarding stranding marine mammals in the Bahamas. Marine mammal researchers and marine agencies both local and international are members of the network.
Sam Duncombe
reEarth
Box N203
Nassau, The Bahamas
Ph 242 393 7604
reearth@batelnet.bs
Dear Sam,
Erskine and I were very sad to learn about this, especially as Erskine knows the area well and has a deep respect for the sea and its inhabitants (he was born and brought up in Mangrove Bush, Long Island).
I don't know if this is of any help, but following is what Erskine says about the tragedy:-
He's surprised the dolphins went into those waters, as the water was shallow and must have been quite warm. However, they may have got lost and "wandered" into the narrow channel at Conch Point. There is just one channel from Conch Point up to Benzy Hill and there's no way out. It's a dead end. He says it's a pity no one spotted the dolphins from the air and were able to get them escorted back out. People could have made noise on the water to make them turn around.
We hope the U.S. Ambassador sticks to his promise. It will be disastrous to our resources and the beauty of our waters if United States Navy sonar testing commences.
I am posting this in http://www.BahamasIssues.com as this is a very serious matter that all of us should be concerned about.
With best wishes in your tireless efforts to save our environment and its defenceless creatures,
Fay
http://www.bahamaswriter.com
"An informal guide & source of inspiration
for new & not so new writers worldwide"