Annual count shows decline in dolphin populationBy Sarah Lake • Staff Writer • August 3, 2010
BETHANY BEACH -- A recent beach outing left part-
time resident Joan Chandler with a lasting memory.
The waters were calm, she said, when a pod of at
least 20 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins attacked a
passing school of blue fish.
"It was just so neat to see," Chandler said. "They
were swimming really close to shore and there were
a lot of them, even by Bethany's standards."
Although sightings are not uncommon along
Delaware beaches, a recent study conducted by the
Lewes-based Marine Education, Research &
Rehabilitation Institute shows a decline in the
dolphin population.
Suzanne Thurman, executive director of MERR, said
the average number of dolphins logged during the
annual study is around 400. On July 17, the date of
this year's count, only 300 were spotted. She said
it's hard to say why the numbers are down.
"Visibility was good that day and we conducted the
count just before high tide, which is when the
dolphins follow fish that come to shore," she said.
"We haven't noticed a decline elsewhere, but we have
seen fewer newborn strandings than we normally
do."
MERR usually responds to at least six newborn
dolphin strandings each summer. This season, the
organization has only seen two.
To Thurman's knowledge, the oil spill along the
Gulf Coast is not affecting local dolphins; however,
it is not beyond the realm of possibility.
"These animals travel and the food they consume
also travels," she said. "They could eat fish that have
been tainted."
The dolphin count, which has been conducted for
the past 11 years, has remained consistent.
Thurman said a formal investigation will be
launched if next year's numbers are also below
average.
More than 100 spotters from the southern tip of
Fenwick Island to Woodland Beach just east of
Smyrna participated in this year's count.
Each year, the count is conducted on the third
Saturday in July, which provides accurate and
consistent data, according to Thurman.
"It allows us to keep an informal tab on what's going
on with these animals," she said. "It's a proactive
way of paying attention so if something goes wrong
(with the population), we have a heads up."
This year's count was the third for Lewes resident
Mike Burns, who is a regular MERR volunteer. He
said it's important to know how the dolphin
population is doing.
"We've seen the devastation in the Gulf," he said. "We
need to make sure our dolphins are not affected."
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