Dead Dolphins

[Lady D]

I read something on the internet yesterday, I think on the MSN home page, about some dolphins being found dead on the South Walton County beaches. I think they mentioned either 21 or 31 were found. I hope this information was not true. Dolphins are such a pleasure to watch! Has anyone down there heard about this?

[Paula]

I read something on the internet yesterday, I think on the MSN home page, about some dolphins being found dead on the South Walton County beaches. I think they mentioned either 21 or 31 were found. I hope this information was not true. Dolphins are such a pleasure to watch! Has anyone down there heard about this?

I googled dead dolphins south walton florida and the last news was from 1999/2000 when some dolphins died in Panhandle due to red tide. The Walton Sun would have something this weekend if this happened recently.

[Ocean Lover]

They are still trying to figure it out..

http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/2509301.html

[DD]

:(

[Paula]

:( I agree. I was hoping it was old news.

[DD]

Me too, Paula. I hope they figure out what's going on! :(

[aquaticbiology]

this is the same wkrg mobile,alabama station that aired a leprichan story last week (up a tree on lepcran street in mobile) - must be spring break - i'll get my news from the panama city station, at least its in florida

[Allifunn]

So is it true or not :idontno: ??

[aquaticbiology]

if you are a resident or on the coast you can call these guys

be sure to ask what you can do to help them out if it turns out to be true

i'm thinking upper respiratory infection like we all had

National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Panama City Laboratory
3500 Delwood Beach Road
Panama City, Florida 32408

Tel. no.: (850) 234-6541

[Allifunn]

if you are a resident or on the coast you can call these guys

be sure to ask what you can do to help them out if it turns out to be true

i'm thinking upper respiratory infection like we all had

National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Panama City Laboratory
3500 Delwood Beach Road
Panama City, Florida 32408

Tel. no.: (850) 234-6541I do not live in the area...hopefully a resident will make the call and let us know!

[Smiling JOe]

Below, is the story from Ch 7 Panty Bra City Beach News, which Ocean Lover posted the link to earlier. I recently heard of two Dolphins found dead, but I had not heard anything about 21 being found dead this year. Here is the story and link to verify:

Link to story (http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/2509301.html)
Twenty One Dolphins Died in Less Than Two Months

For an unknown reason, close to two dozen dolphins have washed up on the beaches of south Walton County.

An Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin was found dead on the shore of Choctawhatchee Bay Wednesday.

document.write(''); This makes twenty-one dolphins that have mysteriously died in the Choctawhatchee area since February of this year.

CJ McGrew of the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge says these dolphins are vital to the marine ecosystem.

"They help keep our fish population under control just like everything in the environment it all is a system and when one part of the system fails you'll have repercussions everywhere."

A crew from the Refuge’s stranding team took samples to find out why she died. McGrew says it’s all part of the effort to find out why they dolphin died, “What we do is take samples and we send them to Miami and they test them there and hopefully we'll get some results pretty soon and find out what's going on."

The Refuge rescues wild animals to help rehabilitate and then eventually releasing them. But at times like this they can only find out why the dolphins are dying.

McGrew admits she finds it a little frightening to see so many dolphins dying.

"Well you first have to love the animal to do something like this I love and greatly appreciate what they do for us and what they are, it's very scary to me, and it’s very scary."

Rosalie Dyson and other volunteers feel the need to do this in a sense to give back to the wildlife community. "I'm sad and it almost feels like we bring a sense of dignity when we can go there and take some of them for science and try to find out why they’re dying."

If you would like to donate or become a volunteer you can contact the wildlife refuge at (850) 650-1880.

[Allifunn]

I read the link, but was not sure it was accurate information?

[Smiling JOe]

I read the link, but was not sure it was accurate information?I notice that they did not name a source for the story. That itself makes me wonder a bit on the accuracy.

[SHELLY]

A friend in Pensacola told me the story was on the local news last night (WEAR-TV). The reporter was with a dead baby dolphin down by the Destin Bridge.

Growing Dolphin Deaths Causing Concern (http://www.weartv.com/)

They are doing some beach renourishment down in that area and there were reports that some turtles have been killed in the process--maybe a connection there.

[seacrestkristi]

:idontno: Wonder what's going on? :confused:

[Smiling JOe]

:idontno: Wonder what's going on? :confused:Today's Walton Sun has a story on it. It noted that the norm has been 20 dolpin deaths in the area (including Destin) and this year, there have been around 30 deaths reported.

[aquaticbiology]

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge

406 Mountain Dr.
Destin, FL 32541
850-650-1880
ecwr@ecwildliferefuge.com


really nice avatar now, sj!

[Cil]

This is so sad.
I saw a dead sea turtle a couple months ago--he looked like he had been dead for quite some time.

[Beemn]

I dont think we will be told whats going on! The federal corrupt men who decide these things may have approved the sonic search for oil! That would do it! And we will never know!

[beachwanabe]

Old article, but have to think of what could be going on:

http://madisongov.net/main/subframes/news/news_articles.asp?article_type=2&article_link=MGA_052104_Military_Bomb_Tests.txt&year=2004

[olive]

Amory and I were crossing the 331 bridge last Sunday morning and saw a dead dolphin in the shallow water near 331.

It was terribly sad.

[florida girl]

This article was in the Destin Log April 22, 2006: "What is killing the Dolphins?" "Since October, 90 Dolphins have died along the Panhandle - generally defined as Escambia County east to Franklin County. In March alone, 29 Dolphin deaths were reported. The average along the Panhandle is 24 deaths in a year, NOAA says."
Personally, I think it is Katrina related, all that waste in the Gulf, it's bound to go into the bays and rivers that attach to the Gulf. Just make sure to cook the fish thoroughly!



What is killing the dolphins? Officials say they’ll try to find out


- NOAA plan to coordinate studies



Florida Freedom Newspapers

Wildlife officials consider the dozens of dolphin deaths in Northwest Florida waters as a serious problem and will throw more resources at trying to determine the cause.

The National Marine Fisheries Service last week declared the rise in bottlenose dolphin deaths an “unusual mortality event,” an official designation that gives researchers more help and money to examine the situation.

“It kind of formalizes the investigation,” said Laura Engleby, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

The decision was recommended when a consulting committee of scientists looked at the jump in deaths in March.

Since October, 90 dolphins have died along the Panhandle – generally defined as Escambia County east to Franklin County.

In March alone, 29 dolphin deaths were reported. The average along the Panhandle is 24 deaths in a year, NOAA says.

“Basically, the reason it was declared an unusual mortality event was because there was a marked increase in dolphin mortalities,” Engleby said.

Sabrina Bowen, another biologist with NOAA, will work as on-site coordinator in Panama City.

“Right now my main concern is collecting the dolphin carcasses and then sending them to the lab,” Bowen said.

While Choctawhatchee Bay has seen some of the deaths, the investigation will encompass the entire Panhandle, Bowen said. The last reported deaths came from Bay and Escambia counties, she said.

With the declaration, money can be drawn from a fund set up for unusual mortality events, which is a big help, Bowen said.

“When you get this many animals, it gets expensive,” said Bowen, who added that it helps across the board, especially in taking some strain off volunteer efforts.

Bowen said the agency has started looking for what’s wrong but doesn’t know when answers will be available.

One cause still under consideration is red tide, an algal bloom that produces a potent neurotoxin.

“It’s a little early to determine the cause, but it’s definitely something being looked at,” Bowen said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is also looking into fish kills of sturgeon, gar and anchovies and bird deaths in Choctawhatchee Bay.

“(Researchers are) still investigating and are still doing analyses and they hope go have a summary done soon,” FWC spokeswoman Jess Brown said.

The last time an unusual mortality event for dolphins was declared for the Panhandle was in St. Joseph Bay in Gulf County in 2004. That outbreak, which claimed 107 bottlenose dolphins between March 10 and April 13, was attributed to red tide.

[Smiling JOe]

This article was in the Destin Log April 22, 2006:
Personally, I think it is Katrina related, all that waste in the Gulf, it's bound to go into the bays and rivers that attach to the Gulf. Just make sure to cook the fish thoroughly!So if you are correct and the Dolphins are dieing from toxic waste, cooking fish thoroughly illiminates the toxins? :idontno:

[rosiee7777]

I was talking to an old Freeport boat captain earlier in the year , he has lived here and fished theses waters for 60 years, we were talking about the hurricanes and how they come in 30 yr cycles, the one thing that stuck in my mind was he said "when the jelly fish come in and the dolphins start beaching themselves,pack yer bag sweety and head north".
I hope he is not right.

[florida girl]

Probably not, but I haven't seen any fish advisories posted, have you? I have heard of some getting sick after eating fish from the bay. And I have seen, and smelled, more than I'd like of dead fish!

[Smiling JOe]

Probably not, but I haven't seen any fish advisories posted, have you? I have heard of some getting sick after eating fish from the bay. And I have seen, and smelled, more than I'd like of dead fish!Ever been to the Sultan Sea? Plenty of dead fish there because it gets so darn salty.

[florida girl]

No, I'm a native of South Walton, and have fished in the bay, and surrounding areas all my life. It is distressing to me that the bay has problems, and very little seems to be done about it.

[aquaticbiology]

this morning St Andrews Bay smelled like a dead animal on the side of road - i don't like the looks of things either - not nearly enough baby fish or shrimp in the bay, no huge bait balls to speak of like last May - i was talking to some folks from PCML yesterday and they pretty much as said that the red tide never went away in the bay and the flippers that have died had upper respiratory infections like most of us have had this year - could possibly be from hurricanes last year, so nobody is sure

of all the problems noted in st andrews bay (possibly the same for choctowatchee bay) the eelgrass and turtle grass being covered with fuzz is probably the most alarming - i can't ever remember seeing it this thick before

however, on the up side, there were plenty of live happy dolphins playing around the boat last evening (with babies), they were even pulling off hooked fish in the pass, and big redfish were all over the rocks, so it may be just a natural recovery process at work