Stranded Whale Rescue East Moriches, NY
Ben Vitale
As reported yesterday, a Whale went aground in East
Moriches, NY, near the Coast Guard station. I went down to EM to see if the
whale was extricated… No such luck!
By chance I met two people near the water who were very
upset because the whale has not received adequate help within 24 hours! I
advised the couple to remain anonymous, in lieu of the current atmosphere of
fines, for getting closer than 200 yards to the whale! Let’s call this couple
John and Janet!
John who appeared to be a naturalist had resources such as a
dredge and a helicopter, available to him to possibly help extricate the whale.
The DEC, and the Coast Guard advised of severe fines for
going closer than 200 yard from the whale! The riverhead foundation advised
that you should not go close to the whale because you would only get him upset!
Upset hummm! Janet told me that the whale was actually exhibiting behavior that
she considered to be “crying!” Is it possible that the whale was actually crying!
OK! All of the above agencies are waiting for a Marine scientist to arrive from
Massachusetts, to survey the situation!
Newsday reports that the Riverhead Foundation for Marine
Research and Preservation was out in boats that were intentionally making waves
hoping that they could move the whale off of the sand bar!
John and Janet had heavy equipment that was available to them, but were forbidden to use it!
John and Janet had heavy equipment that was available to them, but were forbidden to use it!
It has become obvious to me that all of the above agencies were
totally unprepared to deal with an emergency of this type! All of the above
agencies should have had regular disaster preparedness drills so that they
would not flounder when a real emergency occurred! Whales do not normally appear in Moriches Bay,
but they do appear in the waters west of the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn, NY.
I believe that as we speak, a whale is indeed in the water east of the bridge!
In the absence of a disaster preparedness drill, all of the above agencies are
forced to respond with the only tool that they have… Fines!
I do not believe in writing an article that is critical of
an agency, without making a suggestion that might help the situation! I have
navigated the waters in Moriches Bay, with my 30 foot Reliance cruiser that is
bigger than the whale that is currently stranded! A boat or a whale must stay
in the Moriches bay channel! I have managed to get my boat stuck on sandbars in
Moriches bay twice, while traveling at a speed of about Five miles per hour! In
both cases, it took me Two minutes to extricate my boat from the sandbars,
using the 90 horsepower engine at about 500 RPM. What if a Bunge
cord were temporarily attached to the whale’s tail? The ground in Moriches
bay is not rocky, but slippery! A small boat may be able to help this whale by
slowly pulling the bungee cord! It is not that difficult to get off of a
sandbar, when you got stuck at a speed of only 5 miles per hour! I’ve been
there! Just a thought! The whale could
not be very far from the channel because the tides are not very high!
Also… If you drop 30 people with shovels into the water,
they may be able to clear enough sand to help extricate the whale. You might
also make a call to Stony Brook university Marine Sciences department, and ask
them if they may be able to help! In the
past they have been doing research on Whales; I have spoken to a few of the
graduate students in the past! The Marine Sciences department does have a boat,
and I would bet that they would be available to help!
Also published at: http://patch.com/new-york/patchogue/stranded-whale-rescue-east-moriches-ny
Also published at: http://patch.com/new-york/patchogue/stranded-whale-rescue-east-moriches-ny
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I don't understand the reasoning? You are preventing people from helping the whale because they might injure him... In the same breath you want to euthanize our whale! BTW: Euthanize means KILL!What are you guys smoking?
ReplyDeleteKen LaValle granted us permission but has been superseded by the Feds. It is out of their hands now. LaValle is on his way to coast guard as we speak. OPINION: The Feds screw up again; we must stop this shit!
ReplyDeleteThis is what was sent out by Congressman Zeldin's office.
ReplyDeleteStatement released from Congressman Lee Zeldin Office :
"My office and I have been in frequent contact with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), and local elected officials, regarding the whale in Moriches Bay stranded since Sunday evening. Marine mammal strandings in our area are managed by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, working with NOAA and NYDEC, as part of the Marine Mammal Standing Network, a nationwide consortium of experts in the field coordinated by NOAA. Throughout the entire process, experts from the Riverhead Foundation and marine biologists have been on the scene monitoring the condition of the whale. I commend all of the local residents who have been willing to volunteer their help. The public must be mindful that this animal is 25 feet long and could be as heavy as 20 tons, so any attempts to approach the whale, however well intentioned, are dangerous. It is also against the law. After multiple high tides, and an attempt by Riverhead Foundation marine biologists to create wake that would move the whale, the animal has remained disabled in Moriches Bay because it is more than just stranded; it is extremely ill. Attempts to physically move the whale using a dredge or other methods, according to expert marine biologists, would cause more harm and pain to the whale that experts believe is already fatally ill. That is why this whale has not been moved and it is important to understand that this is a sick and disabled whale that would suffer even more if humans intervened to push it into deeper waters. Experts handling the situation who have extensive experience with stranded marine mammals believe the whale is suffering from major organ damage, which led the whale to get placed on the sandbar in Moriches Bay in the first place. NOAA is now deploying additional experts to the scene and continues to coordinate this effort. I spoke directly this evening with NOAA’s Regional Administrator John Bullard and he assured me that NOAA will have a veterinarian on scene tomorrow morning to examine the whale and make a final determination of whether or not it can possibly be saved, but to avoid significant disappointment it is so important to understand how grave the current health state is according to marine experts. I will continue to monitor the situation closely."
Hopefully this mammal will be able to be helped and saved.
TY
DeleteOur local experts killed a healthy whale 6 years ago here on Long Island! They claim to be whale whisperers!We must do something to stop this! Who the hell does the federal government think they are!Just like the election we need another revolt!http://strandednomore.org/eh-humpback-whale/
ReplyDeletehttp://strandednomore.org/eh-humpback-whale/
ReplyDelete