Officials thank Heart's Delight-Islington for saving trapped dolphins, but ice could keep them in trouble
A local whale release and rescue group says a quick response from residents in Heart's Delight-Islington saved the lives of over a dozen trapped dolphins, but fear ice conditions could create more problems down the line.
Everett Sacrey of Whale Release & Strandings was on the scene in the south side of Trinity Bay late Friday afternoon to help with the rescue effort, but he wasn't the first one there. A team of residents from the community and surrounding area were quick to act, using skidoo sleds and heavy equipment to pull the dolphins from the ice and move them into open water.
But tricky ice conditions made for a tricky rescue effort, he said. Sacrey and the rescue team decided the best move was to transport the dolphins to the nearby community of Whiteway, where there was more open water.
"Time was not on our side," Sacrey told CBC News Monday.
"It was a great response. And I think we, meaning the locals, volunteer fire department, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and also our group, it really was the best response that we could have pulled off."
Wayne Ledwell was also on the beach as part of Whale Release & Strandings. He says ice conditions improved slightly on Saturday, but several days of northeasterly winds this winter has moved sea ice into pockets around Trinity Bay.
Ledwell expects those conditions to continue, which could put dolphins or other animals in the bay at risk.
"Trinity Bay is a big bay, and there's no one out there on the ocean these days especially when there's ice around. So who knows how many animals are in it or in other bays," Ledwell told CBC Radio's The Broadcast Monday.
Although at least three dolphins died over the weekend, he says the number would have been a lot higher had it not been for residents.
"If they didn't do what they did, they would have all died there on the beach," "It's amazing to watch and be part of, actually…There's no playbook wrote on it, it just happens so quick. And people, you know, you gotta react quick."
If an animal is spotted trapped in the ice, Ledwell said residents should call Whale Release & Strandings or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
