From stranded dolphins to injured seals, Plymouth group steps up to save marine mammals

PLYMOUTH – When the New England Aquarium handed off its marine mammal stranding duties to the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration last year,the coastline between Rockport and Plymouth was left without a dedicated organization to respond to reports of stranded or entangled whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals.

That's when Whale and Dolphin Conservation stepped in. This fall, starting Oct. 1, the group started responding to calls reporting distressed marine animals.

"We had an eventful first week, with a live dolphin reported on a beach, a couple of live seals with shark bites and one with an entanglement wound," Stranding Coordinator Sarah McCormack said..

Whale and Dolphin Conservation covers the coastline between Marshfield and its home base of Plymouth. Cape Cod is covered by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and everything north of Rockport to the Maine border is handled by the Seacoast Science Center based in Rye, New Hampshire.

Members of Whale and Dolphin Conservation had been assisting on rescues elsewhere in the state, which set up the organization to take on its own piece of the South Shore.

"Our staff have been trained responders for those networks for quite some time, so it was a natural step to take over," McCormack said.

She said much of the work of of rescuing marine mammals and checking on reports of animals in distress will fall to volunteers.

"This work is very dependent on volunteer engagement," she said.

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While they are not ready to train volunteers yet, McCormack said she is trying to collect information from everyone who wants to volunteer, hoping they can be the organization's eyes and ears when reports come in of distressed animals. Volunteers will also help with data collection, health assessments, necropsies, outreach and education.

McCormack is also turning her efforts toward what equipment the group needs to adequately respond to beached dolphins and whales, as well as hurt seals. The group recently bought a truck for transporting animals, stretchers for dolphins and kennels for seals.

"We're developing protocols with a team of vets to get the best protocols for each possible situation we might see," she said.

The group received a small grant from the federal government and equipment from the New England Aquarium, but the organization largely operates from donations. Some equipment is very expensive, McCormack said, such as a portable blood analyzer, which can cost $10,000.

Ainsley Smith, the federal regional stranding coordinator, said she is glad the group has stepped up to fill the void on the South Shore. The federal government put out a call for groups to rescue marine mammals, but no one else indicated interest.

"Most of the people who work in this field know how demanding and intense the work can be," Smith said. "We're really lucky to have them step up to the plate."

To get a permit to perform marine mammal rescues, organizations have to have someone available to answer calls and a veterinarian on call 24 hours per day.

"That rules out most groups," she said.

In addition to the lack of a dedicated group covering north of Marshfield to Rockport, Smith said Martha's Vineyard also lacks a dedicated group to perform marine mammal rescues.

Smith said Whale and Dolphin Conservation's executive director, Regina Asmutis-Silvia, was on the original Cape Cod stranding team, which makes her and her organization a perfect fit.

"They are already involved in conservation and have a presence in Plymouth with volunteers and staff members," she said. "It really is the perfect situation."

Calls to the federal hotline for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation service area will be forwarded to the nonprofit. The group is also running its own hotline and takes calls at 617-688-6872.

For more information or to volunteer, email rescue@whales.org.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Plymouth nonprofit helps whales, dolphins, seals on South Shore coast