Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards
General Category => Hackensack Discussion => Topic started by: Editor on February 17, 2010, 10:31:37 PM
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Today's Record:
Dolphins seen in Hackensack River
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Last updated: Wednesday February 17, 2010, 8:33 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON
The Record
STAFF WRITER
A group of dolphins have made their way up the Hackensack River near Teaneck, Bogota and Hackensack, prompting concerns that they may not survive being so far from the sea.
Eight to 15 dolphins were first spotted near the Midtown Bridge Wednesday morning. They have stayed around the Hackensack area most of the day with several sightings near the Bergen County Jail.
(http://media.northjersey.com/images/230*129/MC_021710dolphin22.jpg)
There is not enough food in the river this time of year to sustain a dolphin, said Bill Sheehan, head of the Hackensack Riverkeeper group.
“We’re talking about a 300 pound animal that needs a lot of protein to survive,” he said. “They’re in a very strange environment. They belong in the ocean not the Hackensack.”
Another concern is that the salinity of the water in that section of the Hackensack is a fraction of what it is in the ocean.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine has been contacted, but they cannot act until the dolphins are in distress.
"They’re still free swimming right now,” said Robert Schoelkopf, the center’s director.
Why the dolphins migrated up the river is unknown. It is reminiscent of a group of 16 dolphins that made their way up the Shrewsbury River near Sandy Hook in 2008.
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Ah, the wonders of PHOTOSHOP........ :-\
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Could they be responding to the bells at the Middle School?
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If this is a hoax, it is The Record, not me: http://www.northjersey.com/news/021710_Dolphins_seen_in_Hackensack_River.html
My hoaxes:
Pterodactyl in Hackensack (http://www.hackensack.org/controls/eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=40)
Bubbled City (http://www.hackensack.org/controls/eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=276)
Annexation of South Hackensack (http://www.hackensack.org/controls/eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=173)
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http://www.youtube.com/v/HKipwP_j65Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&
http://www.youtube.com/v/xup-J2bbWlw&hl=en_US&fs=1&
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I stand corrected !!! There is video of these dolphins !!! I lived in Hackensack until 1995 ( for 30 years) and never, ever heard anything like this, especially in February !! :o
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I can remember there being a Harbor Seal in the Hackensack River at FDU, and it was photographed.
Dolphins, hey this is way too cool.
Dolphins don't care about salinity. Actually they might be here specifically because the low salinity will kill saltwater parasites on their skins. That's one reason they come up into brackish rivers.
Sheehan is the river expert, but I disagree that there aren't enough fish to feed dolphins. When there was a fish kill a number of years back, it was ridiculous how many large fish were dead and floating at the surface. There are plenty of 2-foot long carp in the river. A couple of those a day is enough for a dolphin.
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Updated story from The Record:
Dolphins surface in Hackensack
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Last updated: Thursday February 18, 2010, 5:06 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON
The Record
STAFF WRITER
A pod of eight to 15 dolphins were seen in the Hackensack River in Hackensack on Wednesday.
A group of dolphins have made their way up the Hackensack River near Teaneck and Bogota, prompting concerns that they may not survive so far from the sea.
Eight to 15 dolphins were first spotted near the Midtown Bridge on Wednesday morning, about 12 miles north of Newark Bay. They stayed around the Hackensack area most of the day, with several sightings near the Bergen County Jail.
There is not enough food in the river this time of year to sustain a dolphin, said Bill Sheehan, head of the Hackensack Riverkeeper group. "We're talking about a 300-pound animal that needs a lot of protein to survive."
Another concern is that the salinity of the water in that section of the Hackensack is a fraction of what it is in the ocean. "They're in a very strange environment," Sheehan said. "They belong in the ocean, not the Hackensack."
Buy this photo
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine has been contacted, but says it cannot act unless the dolphins are in distress.
"They're still free-swimming right now," said Robert Schoelkopf, the center's director.
Why the dolphins migrated up the river is unknown. None have ever been spotted so far north in the Hackensack, Sheehan said.
Schoelkopf said one or more of the dolphins could have developed a "parasitic condition," which led them astray. "The others just have no clue and follow the leader," he said.
In 2006, a dead porpoise was discovered in New Milford's French Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack. In 1985, a harbor seal was spotted on the Hackensack in Teaneck.
It is reminiscent of a group of 16 dolphins that made their way up the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers near Sandy Hook in June 2008.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decided against trying to drive the dolphins from the river, fearing it would do more harm than good. Rescue groups like Schoelkopf's were told to avoid the animals unless they come up on land in distress.
The decision prompted a wave of criticism from residents of the area who became attached to the animals and even distributed "Save the Dolphins!" fliers. The river's banks were often crowded with onlookers, who watched them occasionally leap out of the water and land with a splash.
But NOAA scientists said the dolphins had to be left to their own devices and instincts. At least four of the dolphins died as winter approached and the river's food supply ran low. Several dolphins also died in the Shrewsbury in 1993 when they became trapped in ice.
The Shrewsbury River is closer to the ocean than the Hackensack and has a higher salinity. Scientists believed the dolphins were looking for food when they entered the Shrewsbury.
In the coming days, Sheehan and his group's volunteers will watch for the dolphins. Schoelkopf said he is hoping to find better photos so the species of dolphins can be determined.
There were 27 stranded dolphins statewide last year.
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Latest Video.
Hey, that's Hugh!
http://www.youtube.com/v/E35mlzQ_NA0&hl=en_US&fs=1&