Up Here, In Maine, dolphins in the Bay

[Care4all]

Matt and I left the heat of the home and hit our favorite beach yesterday, nearby the house....

There were Dolphin in the Penobscot Bay....we have been going to this beach for the past 5 years and have never once seen Dolphin up here! The last time we saw Dolphin was when we lived in Florida, 15 years ago!

Then we spotted a seal too!

It was very hard to get any good pictures, we took maybe 100 pictures of them swimming and feeding and maybe 5 came out, and poorly at that....they were so fast, by the time the camera snapped they were back down in to the water again.

Also had a very productive day with collecting sea glass...probably found over 60 pieces of it yesterday! Our beaches are all rocks and stones up here, so by the time sea glass is found, it is usually well beaten up and frosted over completely!

We sat right here for most of the day just watching them....it's a lovely spot!

Here is the seal....he didn't come out that good, sorry....

Here is a pic of the seals last year at the same spot, just baking in the sun!

 

[Care4all]

We were just waiting for a whale to pop up and swallow the seals whole!

We have never seen a whale in the bay either, but I read that they do hang out there!

Sea Kayak Maine - Penobscot Bay - Kayakshops.com

 

[waltky]

Virus is similar to measles in humans...

What's killing all those dolphins? NOAA thinks it's a virus
Thu August 29, 2013 > Hundreds of dolphins have died along the East Coast; NOAA says that disease experts think the cetacean morbillivirus is at work; As of Sunday, there have been 488 dolphin strandings from New York to North Carolina

The primary cause for hundreds of recent dolphin deaths along the East Coast is likely a virus, and there's no way to stop its spread right now, federal officials say. The virus, the cetacean morbillivirus, is similar to measles in humans or canine distemper in dogs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. After consulting with disease experts and conducting tests from five affected states, NOAA found that 32 dolphins were either "suspect or confirmed positive for mobillivirus."

The five affected states are New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. North Carolina has also seen an increase in dolphin strandings, according to NOAA. As of Sunday, there have been 488 dolphin strandings from New York to North Carolina, more than 300 dolphins above the annual average. The strandings, where dolphins have gotten stuck in shallow water or have washed up on shores, are over nine times the historical average for July and August in the mid-Atlantic region. Some stranded are found alive, but most are found dead, with many in a state of advanced decomposition, according to data published on NOAA's website.

In Virginia, at least 164 dead dolphins have been found this year, said Joan M. Barns, public relations manager for the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach. Seventy-eight have washed ashore so far in August, she said. There is no vaccination for the mobillivirus, but additional testing on other animals is underway. Scientists at the NOAA hope that learning more about the virus will help them address factors that may facilitate its spread. While the virus is generally spread through the air or through contact with other animals, it is not infectious to humans.

On August 8, NOAA issued an Unusual Mortality Event in response to the high number of deaths. The declaration brought special federal attention to the deaths as something that serves as an indicator of ocean health and may give "insight into larger environmental issues which may also have implications for human health and welfare," according to NOAA's website. The UME declaration for the mid-Atlantic bottlenose dolphins is one of 60 that the agency has issued since it was established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1991. Causes, including infections, biotoxins, human intervention and malnutrition, have been determined for the 29 of those cases.

What's killing dolphins? NOAA thinks a virus - CNN.com

See also:

Navy: Training, testing may kill whales, dolphins
August 30, 2013 — Navy training and testing could inadvertently kill hundreds of whales and dolphins and injure thousands over the next five years, mostly as a result of detonating explosives underwater, according to two environmental impact statements released by the military Friday.

The Navy said that the studies focused on waters off the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Southern California and Hawaii from 2014 through 2019, the main areas that the service branch tests equipment and trains sailors. The studies were done ahead of the Navy applying to the National Marine Fisheries Service for permits for its activities. The Navy said that it if hadn't done so and was later found to have harmed marine mammals, it would be found in violation of federal environmental law and have to stop its training and testing. Most of the deaths would come from explosives, though some might come from testing sonar or animals being hit by ships.

Rear Adm. Kevin Slates, the Navy's energy and environmental readiness division director, told reporters this week the Navy uses simulators where possible but sailors must test and train in real-life conditions. "Without this realistic testing and training, our sailors can't develop or maintain the critical skills they need or ensure the new technologies can be operated effectively," Slates said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. According to the reports, computer models show it may kill 186 whales and dolphins off the East Coast and 155 off Hawaii and Southern California. The Navy said it developed the estimates by totaling the hours it will test and practice with sonar, torpedoes, missiles, explosives and other equipment over five years. Experts then combine the data with what's known about the marine mammals and then use computer modeling.

Off the East Coast, there could be 11,267 serious injuries and 1.89 million minor injuries like temporary hearing loss. The reports said the testing and training might also cause marine mammals to change their behavior — such as swimming in a different direction — in 20 million instances. Off Hawaii and Southern California, the reports said that the naval activities may cause 2,039 serious injuries, 1.86 million temporary injuries and 7.7 million instances of behavioral change. But Michael Jasny, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the Navy was underestimating the effect its activities on marine mammals.

For example, he pointed to a study by government and private sector scientists published just last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society showing mid-frequency active sonar can disrupt blue whale feeding. The study says feeding disruptions and the movement of whales away from their prey could significantly affect the health of individual whales and the overall health of baleen whale populations. Jasny said the Navy's ocean activities are "simply not sustainable." "These smaller disruptions short of death are themselves accumulating into something like death for species and death for populations," Jasny said. One of the statements covers Hawaii and Southern California, while the other covers the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/navy-training-testing-may-kill-whales-dolphins

Is prob'ly what's really killin' the dolphins.