Cape & Islands News

Kerry, Keating ask for NOAA's help in finding cause of dolphin strandings

More than sixty dolphins have stranded along the Cape's shores in the past week

In response to several recent dolphin strandings up and down the shores of Cape Cod Bay, Senator John Kerry and Congressman Bill Keating have reached out to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for assistance in determining the cause of the recent spike in beachings.  In a letter to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco yesterday, the representatives asked that NOAA help determine the cause for the strandings and work with the National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Regional Stranding Network and the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) stranding rescue team to find a way to prevent more strandings.

IFAW rescuers prepare dolphins for release at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown on Monday. David G. Curran photo.More than sixty dolphins have stranded themselves from Dennis to Wellfleet since late last week.  Although roughly  half of the dolphins that beached were found dead, rescuers were successful in treating and releasing the majority of the dolphins found alive. Most recently, seven dolphins stranded on the mudflats of the Herring River in Wellfleet Thursday--five were returned to the sea by IFAW and two had to be euthanized.

Read the recent stranding stories below:

• Seven more dolphins strand in Wellfleet Thursday
• Six stranded dolphins rescued in Wellfleet

Read the letter to Jane Lubchenco below:

The Honorable Jane Lubchenco
Administrator
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Room 5128
1401 Constitution Avenue N.W.
Washington D.C., DC 20230-000:2

Dear Administrator Lubchenco,

We are writing to ask for your assistance in determining the cause of an abnormally high number of dolphin beaching in Massachusetts. In the last week, more than 50 dolphins have stranded themselves on the beaches on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This is an alarmingly high number that is quite unusual for the area and unfortunately reminiscent of the 2005 winter season. We are writing to ask your assistance in researching the cause of these strandings, determining what can be done to prevent future strandings and to provide assistance to help increase survival of those dolphins that are found on shore.

The abnormally high number of dolphin strandings closely follows the unusual mortality event we saw with Atlantic harbor seals this past fall. While we know that disease contributed to the seal deaths, we are concerned that factors such as climate change, human interaction, and predation could be contributing to increased mortality among marine mammal species. We would like to know if there is a common cause between these unfortunate events, and, if so, what measures are being used to research the link.

We know that NOAA has significant resources devoted to the protection of marine mammals and we commend the work that has been by the National Marine Fisheries Service's
North East Regional Stranding Network. We are hopeful that the Network's collaborated research will ultimately lead to the prevention of future strandings and an increase in the survival rate of stranded dolphins found on shore. We also want to highlight the dedication of the volunteers on Cape Cod and with the International Fund for Animal Welfare who are working tirelessly to assist these dolphins over the past week. Without their eff0rts, the number of dolphins who have perished would undoubtedly be even higher.

We look forward to working with you to help protect marine mammals. Thank you for your consideration of our requests.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
US Senator

William Keating
US Congressman