125 dolphins washed up on the shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States, Friday, June 28, 2024. It is the largest mass stranding recorded in the region in decades, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).IFAW).
Ten white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acuteus) Stranded whales were initially reported off the coast of Wellfleet Friday morning. When the response team, made up of IFAW staff and volunteers, arrived on scene, 125 animals had been identified, including 10 that had sadly already died. This is the largest single cetacean stranding observed by IFAW in its 26-year presence on Cape Cod.
« When we arrived, we discovered between 80 and 100 dolphins stranded in the shallow waters of what we call the Herring River Narrows in Wellfleet, a site known worldwide for mass strandings of cetaceans. ” said Misty Niemeyer, stranding coordinator for IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research program.We provided care to the dolphins and helped those in greater difficulty to stabilise them and prepare them for the rising tide. ».
In a highly coordinated response, first on foot and then by boat when the water returned at high tide at 4:56 p.m., the dolphins were rounded up and helped back out to sea. Two IFAW boats and the Wellfleet Harbor Master continued their efforts until sunset at 8:15 p.m.
The Herring River Narrows is a common grounding site due to its hook shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
« This rescue posed many problems due to the number of dolphins involved, the large size of many of them and their dispersion over a large muddy area that was difficult to access. “, Mr. Niemeyer said. It was a grueling 12-hour operation under a relentless sun, but the team managed to cope to give the dolphins their best chance of survival. ».
By nightfall, most of the dolphins appeared to have found their way to deeper waters offshore. About a dozen were still swimming in the inner harbor as the sun set Friday night. More than 150 people, including 25 IFAW staff members and 100 trained volunteers, were mobilized Friday, with assistance also from AmeriCorps Cape Cod, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the New England Aquarium, the Center for Coastal Studies and the Wellfleet Harbor Master’s Office.
At first light Saturday morning, an IFAW team was still working on the water to find 10 of the rescued dolphins swimming back into a dangerous area. Efforts to direct them to deeper water were successful. Two other groups of about 20 individuals swimming close to shore, in Eastham and Brewster, also on Cape Cod Bay, were observed by IFAW volunteers that afternoon.
On Sunday evening, a new report confirmed the stranding of the dolphins swimming near Brewster. The IFAW team remains mobilized and efforts continue to rescue the cetaceans and help them return to the open sea.
Note to editors:
- To date, 15 of the 125 dolphins involved in this mass stranding have died, including 2 that had to be euthanized due to severe injuries.
- Being caught in recurring tidal movements and being stranded are traumatic stressors for dolphins.
- The prognosis for survival of a stranded dolphin decreases with the time it takes to return to the open sea. It deteriorates further in the event of repeated strandings.
Photos and videos available on these links: Wellfleet beaching et Brewster Stranding (©IFAW)
Contacts presse
Aurore Lepastourel
