By MICHAEL SHERIDAN, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Now here’s one whale of a tale.
A boat off the coast of New Jersey was struck by a whale that leapt from the water and landed on the craft Monday.
The massive mammal slammed into the 25-foot boat around noon, according to a post on the Friends of Seaside Park Facebook page.
Continue reading “NY Daily News: Whale hits small boat off the coast of New Jersey”By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications Coordinator
Humpback Whales were spotted 87 times from whale-watching boats near New York City this year, and by cataloging the whales’ markings, at least 19 different humpbacks have been identified in the waters off the city. Naturalists aboard whale-watching boats have seen humpbacks in the Atlantic Ocean within a mile of the Rockaway peninsula, part of New York’s borough of Queens, within sight of Manhattan’s skyscrapers.
In 2012, there were 15 sightings; in 2013, 33; and this year there were 87 sightings totaling 106 humpbacks.
It’s not crystal clear why humpbacks, which can be 50 feet long and weigh 40 tons, are returning to New York’s shores, where they were abundant before they and other whale species were nearly destroyed by whaling.
Associated Press Reporter Jim Fitzgerald investigates the sightings:
Learn more:
Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications Coordinator
Bottlenose Dolphins, their numbers impacted last year from a nasty virus that rivals the death rate of Ebola in West Africa, are still dying, researchers have found.
The outbreak of morbillivirus, a measles-like virus that causes pneumonia, skin lesions and brain infections, has killed roughly twice as many bottlenose dolphins as the last big outbreak in 1987-88. In New Jersey, 151 bottlenose dolphins died last year — nearly 10 times this year’s toll so far, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
Morbillivirus is highly contagious. It’s spread through respiration (via blowholes) and direct contact. Experts think the virus may also be spread through skin contact.
Asbury Park Press Reporter Todd B. Bates explores the unusual mortality event:
Learn more:
Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the fifth of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1, Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, on Tuesday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 3, on Wednesday, looked at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, yesterday, investigated the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. Part 5, today’s blog entry, discusses the importance of reporting marine mammal and sea turtle sightings and how to do so.
By Michael J. Davenport, Marine Species & GIS Programs Manager
Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) staff work with the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) to manage and populate the state’s official database of rare wildlife, known as Biotics. Currently, this database contains over 39,000 animal and plant records within New Jersey. ENSP and CWF currently collect and enter data for the state’s 182 endangered, threatened, and special concern species.
Although much of the information within Biotics on imperiled species is received from CWF and ENSP biologists, a great deal of useful data is also submitted by the public since, although NJ is a relatively small state, the biologists are unable to survey all areas at all times. The biologists rely on these “citizen scientists” to help them monitor areas which they are unable to and/or locate the presence of species in areas in which they were previously unknown to occur. Wildlife watchers who observe rare wildlife may report such observations by submitting a Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form which then gets processed and mapped by CWF staff.
Rare species data within the Biotics database plays a critical role in wildlife and habitat conservation within New Jersey. It is used for a number of scientific and conservation efforts such as the state’s Landscape Project and Critical Wildlife Habitat Mapping, environmental review, research (GIS modeling), status review (determining whether a non-listed species should become listed as endangered or threatened and vice versa), and it also assists biologists in targeting future survey efforts to new areas.
A Rare Wildlife Sighting Report Form is available on ENSP’s website for download as well as instructions for completing the form – there is also a Marine Wildlife Sighting Report Form, specifically for reporting sighting of marine mammals and sea turtles. A complete list of all of the species tracked by the state can be downloaded here.
Reporting your rare wildlife observation is easy. Simply complete the form, attach a map of where the animal was observed (a map is not necessary for marine sightings; geographic coordinates may be submitted instead), as well as any photographs taken, and then mail or e-mail the form and any additional documentation to ENSP at the address provided on the form. For more details about the state’s rare species mapping, please visit our webpage.
Observations of dead, dying, or stranded marine mammals or sea turtles should be reported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at 609-266-0538. Keep in mind, however, that a seal on the beach is not necessarily sick or injured. Resting on the beach is normal behavior for seals. They may haul-out onto beaches, jetties, or floating docks to rest or escape predators. So, a seal on land is not necessarily a seal in distress. Obvious indications of illness or injury are open wounds, entangled fishing line, or lack of responsiveness to their surroundings.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the third of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 1, on Monday, revealed the bottlenose dolphin die-off striking the Eastern Seaboard. Part 2, yesterday, featured a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 4, tomorrow, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
By Jennifer Dexter, Conservation Intern
Last year, over 150 marine mammal strandings occurred in New Jersey, ranging from humpback whales to harbor seals.
In order to better prepare first responders and the general public for such incidents, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ hosted the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop. For me, the biggest take home message I retained from attending this workshop was a clear one: “Don’t be the hero!”
Everyone has good intentions when they attempt to ”rescue” a marine mammal stranded on the beach, but often you may be doing more harm than good. Usually, there is a good reason why the animal washed ashore, whether it be injuries or illness at fault. If you simply return the animal to the ocean, it’s likely that they will just become stranded again.
The same goes for animals in danger at sea, such as a turtle entangled in fishing nets. DO NOT go all gung-ho by jumping in the water in attempt to cut the turtle free, as you are putting the animal and yourself in danger.
Close human interaction will put the already stressed animal in defense mode. Sea turtles, such as the leatherback, can weigh more than 1,000 pounds and one thrash of their flipper can leave a human severely injured. In addition, a human can just as easily become entangled in the netting so it’s best to remain on your boat, safe out of harm’s way.
The best and most helpful thing a witness can do in New Jersey is to immediately call the Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Center (609-266-0538) and provide the following information: description of the animal, photograph from a distance, location, and description of any injuries.
Most importantly, do not touch, feed, pour water on, or cover the animal. Stand by until a MMSC staff member or local police is dispatched. From that point on, it will be up to the MMSC and the authorities to assess what measures need to be taken based on the animal’s needs. You can walk away knowing you did the right thing – and helped the animal as much as you could.
With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, summer is unofficially here for New Jerseyans. That means plenty of tourists enjoying shore, sand, surf, and sun – but it also means other types of annual summer visitors to our coast: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and whales. However, what may be inspiring sightings from a healthy distance can become tragic encounters when marine animals become stranded or entangled in nets.
This story marks the first of five blog stories spotlighting New Jersey’s marine mammals and sea turtles – and educating people how to help animals in need, rather than make a bad situation worse.
Part 2, on Tuesday, will feature a Question-and-Answer on the dolphin mortality event with NOAA’s Mendy Garron. Part 3, on Wednesday, will look at how people can safely help stranded wildlife. Part 4, on Thursday, will investigate the fascinating condition of cold-stunned sea turtles. And Part 5, on Friday, will reveal the importance of reporting sightings – both for live or dead marine mammals.
By David Wheeler, Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
At least 136 bottlenose dolphins became stranded in New Jersey over the past year. Most of the strandings were fatal, and many dolphins showed lesions and other infections. Over 1,200 dolphins have stranded along the entire Eastern seaboard – a situation bleak enough that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) declared an Unusual Mortality Event.
The cause is Cetacean morbillivirus. About half of coastal migratory bottlenose dolphins are affected, leading to this stock’s federal classification as ‘Depleted’ under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Bottlenose dolphins were already considered species of special concern in New Jersey, and this only further threatens their population.
In stark contrast with the 136 dolphins stranded in New Jersey since last July 1, the average number of strandings in the state for a given year is 10.
The last major morbillivirus mortality event among bottlenose dolphins occurred in 1987-88, which ultimately helped lead the U.S. Congress to establish the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
The dolphin virus was among the issues discussed atConserve Wildlife Foundation’s inaugural marine mammal stranding workshops last month at Monmouth University and Richard Stockton College.
Speakers at our recent stranding response workshops led interactive discussions to educate first responders on how to handle marine mammal and sea turtle strandings. Jen Zebrowski from Jenkinson’s Aquarium educated responders on how to identify some 13 species of marine mammals and 5 sea turtles they might encounter on the New Jersey coast. Mendy Garron, Kate Sampson and Scott Doyle from NOAA explained what a responder should do once they encounter the animal, how to make the situation safe, and the legal obligations facing first responders with a stranding.
Now we enter this summer hoping that cetacean morbillivirus will not claim nearly as many dolphins this year. Keep your fingers crossed!
Helpful Links:
Bottlenose Dolphin Field Guide
NOAA Unusual Mortality Event page for Bottlenose Dolphin Morbillivirus
NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding page