Anatomy of a Dolphin Rescue Part Two

This article is dedicated to nature lover Sue Miller. Rest in Peace, my friend. 

In the April 20th publication, I introduced readers of the Coastal Breeze News to Part One of this series regarding a young dolphin in a physical predicament. As a quick overview, an 18-month-old calf has fishing line wrapped around its tailfin. It is impossible for a dolphin to release this from its body on its own. As a result, there have been several rescues in our area, some thanks to photos and videos taken by residents who have forwarded them to the Dolphin Explorer or to other area authorities.

When we received a video on April 7th our team immediately contacted several agencies and requested some help. Since then, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been in contact with us almost daily. Per their request, our team has documented every sighting of mom Skipper and her calf, Fergie, and forwarded photographs of the dorsal fin (that fin on their back that helps us identify each individual), pictures of the entanglement and GPS coordinates each time these two were sighted.

FWC joined us recently to gather their own info and photos, and I am very happy to say that all of this information, plus continued documentation by our team, has been sent to NOAA. A rescue date, plus an alternate date if needed, has been scheduled. NOAA has deemed the entanglement as potentially life-threatening.

Fergie is swimming freely at the time of this writing, which is great news considering the situation. He is staying by his mom’s side constantly. At 18 months old, Fergie has been fishing on his own for some time but is still young enough to nurse from mom’s milk. He doesn’t have to exert himself catching fish with a strong diet of milk available which, again, is much to his benefit right now.

UPDATE: At 12:32 PM on April 25th a rescue began to free Fergie from his entanglement. By 12:49 he was free! Thanks to FWC, NOAA, Mote Marine and more. Read the full details next week right here in Coastal Breeze News!

So, how will a rescue take place? This is how our most recent rescue happened with a different dolphin.

NOAA, FWC, Rookery Bay and several other organizations arrived in our area about 8:00 AM. The Dolphin Explorer had four boats on the water by 6:30 – 7:00 AM to begin the location process of the dolphin in need of rescue. We located mom and calf before the other agencies were in their boats and they were alerted to our GPS location which shortened the search day for them by hours.

Mom and calf were followed until a shallow area was close by. A boat with a huge net went out, and dropped this net, about 100 feet in diameter, to surround the two dolphins. Since the water was shallow, a designated team of rescuers jumped in the water and began to collapse the net into a small area. The mom and calf were facing each other to ensure they had eye contact. The dolphins were calmed as much as possible and a veterinarian joined the team in the water.

The calf’s tail was raised and the entangled line was released. Although the line was cutting into the skin, the injury was determined not severe enough to remove the injured dolphin from the area. It was given a shot of antibiotics, tagged and then both mom and calf were released back into the waters to travel freely again.

Once the vet was in the water, the rescue proceeded very quickly, so as not to stress either the mom or calf. The rescued calf has not suffered any physical consequences since this rescue in 2014.

More than likely the same type of rescue will be performed on Fergie. Based on what I have witnessed in the past, it is anticipated that Fergie will live a normal life after this event and our team will continue to monitor his behavior and well-being for years to come.

The date of the rescue had been kept quiet to prevent interference by the public. The Dolphin Explorer will post an update on their Facebook page along with Coastal Breeze News. There will be a Part Three to this story in the May 4th release of Coastal Breeze News. Stay tuned!