Dolphins enjoying the food at the Jersey Shore
The big news in our area this week is the 12-20 bottlenose dolphins in the Shrewsbury River about 20 minutes or so north of me. At least two are thought to be less than one year old. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has placed a 50-yard exclusion zone around them, which means that boaters and swimmers can’t feed them, swim with them, bother them or directly interact with them in any way. Breaking the rule would be a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. State police and Coast Guard boats are on the water enforcing the boundaries. The dolphins have been there several days now. After observation, it was determined that these are probably coastal dolphins and that they’re most likely in no hurry to leave because of the abundance of good food. Apparently there is a lot of menhaden and other small fish which are dolphin favorites. With Independence Day a week away there is a concern that the increased boat traffic will endanger the dolphins. There has been discussion of a coordinated plan to escort the dolphins back out to see before the holiday.
