Thursday, September 25, 2008

Dolphins

The pod of dolphins that swam into the Navesink River at the start of summer is still there. One died of pneumonia, apparently it'd been sick for months. They certainly enjoyed themselves, food was plentiful. They are beautiful creatures, we humans love to watch them. The argument is about whether or not they can find their way out. I don't understand why they couldn't. The Navesink/Shrewsbury system of estuaries isn't all that large or complex, it isn't like Barnegat. Much of it is too shallow to interest the large mammals or they'd have become stranded on mud flats in the narrower creeks. The tides clearly show the exit routes; I imagine the dolphins can feel those & also taste the salinity. The Shrewsbury main channel has strong currents & leads directly to Sandy Hook Bay & the ocean. So if it's time for them to leave, why don't they? I don't see how they could be "lost" in the Navesink. One marine biologist suggests that their internal biological compass is directed south when water turns cold, & south in the Navesink system is a dead end. Evacuating the dolphins is potentially more dangerous to them than leaving them be.
I'm not the one to tell this world
How to get along
I only know the peace will come
When all hate is gone

I've been searchin'
For the dolphins in the sea
And sometimes I wonder
Do you ever think of me

Fred Neil, "The Dolphins"

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