Sunday, April 26, 2009

Dolphin Recovery Assist ~Marine Mammal Stranding Center~

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The Dive Team was about to conduct a training dive in the Manasquan inlet when they heard a call to the Coast Guard station from a private vessel reporting a dead Bottlenose Dolphin outside of the inlet.


The dive team responded to the reported location with the use of a TowBoat US unit that was donated by the local operator along with a boat captain. The dolphin was located 1/2 mile North of Manasquan Inlet and 1/2 mile offshore. Divers Tom Conroy and Tom Trafer entered the water and strapped the body onto a backboard. Chief Diver Nesley, Flo Melo, and TowBoat US Captain Rick then pulled the 350lb dolphin onto the boat.


The Dolphin was then taken to the Manasquan Coast Guard station where Coast Guard personnel assisted in loading the dolphin for transportation to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J.



MMSC personnel staff believed that the numerous scratches along the body could have been bite marks from other dolphins, but they were mostly superficial and unlikely the cause of death. The stranding center is still very busy but the dive team had the opportunity to visit the two Seals that were recoverd by the Dive Team back on Easter weekend...

Asbury Park Press article here...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

"Easter Seals" Rescue Days...

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It's starting to become a annual tradition when it comes to Easter Sunday weekend regarding 'Seal Rescues" along the Jersey shore...
While driving back towards Point Pleasant after a very nice visit to the Museum of New Jersey Maritime History (http://www.museumofnjmh.com/) we were passed by the familiar red pick-up truck from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center head North...


Of course Chet could not let it go with a friendly wave or tip of the hat...
We stopped alongside the MMSC truck at a light in Toms River and found that they were on a call regarding a Seal on the beach in Seaside...


Asbury Park Press has the following story posted here...






Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Training Day with a "Recovery"...

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Despite the high winds and poor visibility blowing out any SCUBA diving today, the Dive Team still had a busy day! Chief Diver Nesley set us up for a special jetty rescue drill to prepare for the upcoming fishing season. As people have fallen into the many rocks and concrete “jacks” of the Manasquan River Inlet jetty before, we wanted to train our new members on how we might respond to this unusual circumstance for which there is no textbook.






Rather than mannequins, two divers (in exposure suits) hid and wedged themselves into tight spots in the jetty to best simulate how actual human victims can become lodged and incapacitated in the structure. We started our search with divers learning how to maneuver through the rocks and jacks in teams, being mindful of their own safety while sweeping the jetty in a coordinated fashion.




Our first victim was located quickly, but she was stuck in a tight spot. The rescue team got some real world practice in stabilizing and loading a patient onto a Miller Man board under field conditions. The second victim (who took two sweeps to find!) was easier to stabilize, but we only had underwater or very tight egresses, so it took a little extra problem solving to get him out of the rocks. During our debriefing, two of our First Aid Squad’s EMTs also showed us some additional equipment that could be utilized for situations like this.








Everyone had a great experience in thinking our way through a situation with many variables. Although there isn’t a formula to follow for this type of rescue, it was good training in assessment, resources, communication, team work, and problem solving.




BEFORE WE EVEN GOT OUT OF OUR DRYSUITS, the Police Department contacted us with a report of a stranded whale about a mile south on the beach. Several of our members are trained Volunteers for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, so we responded immediately to the scene. Assistant Chief Melo contacted Bill Deer of the MMSC so he could direct us with what to do with the specimen







The animal washed up on the beach was a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a little over 5 feet long. We confirmed that it was dead. As per direction from Bill, we transported it off the beach and delivered it to the MMSC facility in Brigantine. Brandi Biehl met us after 10:00 pm to accept the specimen. She identified it as a female and the biggest harbor porpoise she’s ever seen - it weighed in at 163 pounds! (Brandi said that she can normally just sling one over her shoulder or cradle it under one arm.) The MMSC will be sending the specimen out for necropsy to hopefully determine cause of death. There were some superficial skin erosions around the fins and a few postmortem peck marks (possibly from gulls), but the thin line impressions around the porpoise’s neck and other lines down the length of the body were suggestive of netting. We can’t say anything for certain now, but everyone at the Stranding Center is incredibly dedicated. You can see what they’re all about at http://www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org/index.htm