Winter's Rescue
The story of Winter’s rescue is a call for all of us to do what we can to protect wild dolphins. Winter became entangled in a crab trap causing such severe damage to her tail fluke that it had to be removed. Whatever we leave in the waterway may be out of sight for us, but will become a danger to those creatures that spend time at or below the surface. For example, when a fisherman cuts or loses a line, that line doesn’t just disappear. It assumes a stealthy existence, persistently awaiting marine mammals, birds, turtles and fish to ensnare. In effect, the line keeps on fishing whether there is a human attached to the other end or not, and may bag its biggest catches once it’s free to roam the lagoon on its own.
WHAT TO DO?
When a dolphin gets entangled, our intervention team and partners take action. Organized in teams using several boats, they systematically scour the areas of reported sightings until they locate the entangled dolphin. Then, using a carefully coordinated series of moves, they wait for just the right moment, quickly encircle the animal with a fast boat deploying a net and then the most experienced handlers move in on the animal to secure it. At that point, the presiding veterinarian will remove the ensnaring material, give the animal a thorough health check, treat any wounds as necessary, and then release the animal. Sometimes a tracking device is attached so that the progress of the animal can be examined. This reactive approach is necessary and will continue when we are called upon to do so.
The best approach is to remove and limit the amount of monofilament and other ensnaring debris in our coastal waters. Docks fishing piers, and marinas have designated containers into which monofilament can safely be disposed. If you come upon an offending snarl of fishing line, pick it up and feed it into the disposal container upon your return to land. Take that approach a step further by joining a locally organized beach cleanup. A lot of ensnaring debris ends up in the shoreline plants, making a beach cleanup a great way to reduce this threat.
NOAA Fisheries Service and the Stranding Network members encourage people to report entangled, injured, or dead dolphins to the marine mammal stranding hotline at 1-877-WHALE HELP (1-877-942-5343). With your help, we can help prevent life-threatening entanglements for our Indian River Lagoon dolphins.
There are a number of 'best practices' you can observe to help keep all bottlenose dolphins safe:
WHAT TO DO?
When a dolphin gets entangled, our intervention team and partners take action. Organized in teams using several boats, they systematically scour the areas of reported sightings until they locate the entangled dolphin. Then, using a carefully coordinated series of moves, they wait for just the right moment, quickly encircle the animal with a fast boat deploying a net and then the most experienced handlers move in on the animal to secure it. At that point, the presiding veterinarian will remove the ensnaring material, give the animal a thorough health check, treat any wounds as necessary, and then release the animal. Sometimes a tracking device is attached so that the progress of the animal can be examined. This reactive approach is necessary and will continue when we are called upon to do so.
The best approach is to remove and limit the amount of monofilament and other ensnaring debris in our coastal waters. Docks fishing piers, and marinas have designated containers into which monofilament can safely be disposed. If you come upon an offending snarl of fishing line, pick it up and feed it into the disposal container upon your return to land. Take that approach a step further by joining a locally organized beach cleanup. A lot of ensnaring debris ends up in the shoreline plants, making a beach cleanup a great way to reduce this threat.
NOAA Fisheries Service and the Stranding Network members encourage people to report entangled, injured, or dead dolphins to the marine mammal stranding hotline at 1-877-WHALE HELP (1-877-942-5343). With your help, we can help prevent life-threatening entanglements for our Indian River Lagoon dolphins.
There are a number of 'best practices' you can observe to help keep all bottlenose dolphins safe:
- Never cast your net or line towards dolphins, especially if they are engaged in feeding activities.
- Never feed wild dolphins; it’s illegal and teaches dolphins to beg people for food and draws them dangerously close to fishing gear and boat propellers. Visit www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org.
- Observe wild dolphins from safe distances of at least 50 yards whenever possible.
- Avoid touching, swimming, or otherwise closely interacting with wild dolphins, even if they approach you.
- Reel your fishing line in when dolphins are near to prevent interactions and entanglement in fishing gear.
- Inspect your fishing gear often to avoid unwanted line breaks – even small amounts of gear in the water can be harmful to dolphins if entangled or ingested.
- Place all broken or used fishing line in a monofilament fishing line recycling bin or a lidded trash can. In the Titusville region, local fishing line recycling bins can be found at: www.VolusiaFishingLineRecycling.org.
- Purchase a Protect Wild Dolphins specialty license plate.
Entangled Dolphin
Help us drive the message home about the importance of protecting wild dolphins and the oceans we share by Purchasing a Protect Wild Dolphins specialty license plate for your car, truck, RV or trailer.
All of your $20 donation supports rescue and research efforts of the Harbor Branch-FAU Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Program (MMRC) and others involved in marine conservation and education efforts. Visit www.ProtectWildDolphins.org for program and ordering information.
