Capt Lori DeAngelis runs a boating business called Dolphin Queen Cruises, which ferries tourists in Orange Beach, AL, to see pods of dolphins at play in the Gulf. Capt Lori reveres dolphins. In fact, she used to be licensed to handle the federally protected mammals.
“They are like kin to us,” she says.
The BP oil disaster put a huge dent in Capt Lori’s dolphin-watching business, but now it’s personal. Recently she watched over a young adult male dolphin that had washed up on the sandy shores of Orange Beach, lying motionless with its mouth agape.
“We tried to keep the kids away from it, but tourists kept coming up to look at the badly decomposed carcass. It was lying there from 6am until past two in the afternoon. It was something I wouldn’t want any child to see.”
Now at least 87 bottle-nosed dolphins, mostly very young or calves, have been found near the shores of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana over the past two months, about 15 times the normal amount. The number of dead mammals found this year almost equals the total number collected in 2010. Five more were added to the list the day this one was found. The federal government has declared this unprecedented die-off an “unusual mortality event,” the equivalent of a governor declaring a state of emergency following a natural disaster. This means federal money will be thrown at the difficult job of figuring out exactly what is causing this tragedy.
Many on the Gulf like Capt. Lori think they know already. “The oil is toxic, and it’s even more so with all the dispersant they sprayed out there. Anytime you have that much oil in the water you should expect to be collecting dead fish and animals. Nothing will stop this from rearing its ugly head for years to come.”
Scientists say they are still searching for answers. As my colleague Michael Jasny has blogged, the cause of this may never be proven. But the toll keeps mounting. Experts say many more animals have died than have been found or washed ashore. And Capt. Lori believes many more have just been buried by cleanup workers or never counted at all.
“I’m flabbergasted that we allow BP to be responsible to clean up their own mess when they will be fined for every animal or bird they find. We need to demand they be counted properly and BP be held account able.”
Watch this video by Jerry Cope of Capt Lori talking about the dolphin they found on Orange Beach.
No one knows how many young dolphins have perished in the waves. As the weather continues to warm and more vacationers and fishermen venture into the Gulf and marshes, Capt Lori says it’s likely many more of these iconic animals will be found dead.
As dolphins die in increasing numbers, we are left with questions about what to do. Perhaps we will never be certain what caused this. But we do know there is a better way forward to protect the Gulf and make it whole again. It’s not drilling faster and further out into the deep blue sea. This will never quench our insatiable thirst for oil. And as my NRDC colleague Regan Nelson blogged recently, it’s not clear the safeguards are there to prevent another oil disaster of this magnitude.
So let’s think about the real costs. Presidents from both side of the aisle have urged us to end our addiction to oil. We desperately need to move away from dirty fossil fuels and towards a clean energy economy. It’s not just to protect our national security or our health. It’s also about preserving walks on the beach with our children.
Photo by Jerry Cope.
Follow Rocky Kistner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rockyatnrdc
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A smidgen of evidence supporting my assertion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qW-9uTm3wE
I have a number of very close friends involved in The Dolphin Project..no less so this really hits me close to home..!
Go listen to the great Fred Neil, Dolphins in the Sea..
But that doesn't stop you environmentalists from claiming that evil oil was the culprit. No one knows what is causing these die offs...the manatee die off has been linked to the exceptional cold. That doesn't stop you guys from running around claiming the sky is falling and blaming it all on big oil.
Don't take this wrong... I'm not saying that there are not increased dolphin deaths. I'm simply a little skeptical about possible media sensationalism and encourage people to seek more facts before reaching a decision. Remember the shark scare stories? Those stories were no more than sensationalism. Statistics indicated nothing unusual. Shark attacks didn't suddenly increase. Mosquitoes still kill more people than sharks do but sensationalism sells newspapers.
Seek truth.
we have had an unusally cold winter....Â.
2006 dead dolphins 25 in 2 weeks
http://wwwÂ.greendiarÂy.com/entrÂy/newbornsÂ-among-25-Âdead-dolphÂins-washedÂ-ashore-teÂxas/
2006 dead dolphins 25 in 2 weeks
http://www.greendiary.com/entry/newborns-among-25-dead-dolphins-washed-ashore-texas/
As warmer weather becomes more permanent now as the season changes, I hope parents of such children are understanding not to allow their children to go out and play in the water. Especially, if tar balls and oily sheen are still present on the beach at the shoreline.
The scientists just need to THINK a bit harder about it.
The fact that there was a major oil spill along with an unprecedented use of chemical dispersants is far too much of a coincidence. The fact that these highly intelligent beings appear helpless to avert the deaths also would lead to a supsicion of toxins as a cause of death. We owe it to these wonderful "sea cousins" of ours to find out the truth and not make excuses.
Capt. Lori is right. No perpetrator of an oil spill should be allowed to oversee its own cleanup without independent scientists to confirm and verify the damages. Not to do this is to pay dearly and we are doing exactly that with the death of every dolphin.
One of my most joyous memories is a trip to Hawaii. Every morning the dolphins would swim in and greet us all happily. They made you feel so alive. When they die needlessly in such numbers, we all die a little bit and so does our planet.
Via Captain Lori DeAngelis:
If you see a dead dolphin please call me at (521) 747-3290
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/bogus-claim-made-leader-bp-funded-cleanup-worker-health-study-legal-expert