A string of mysterious dolphin strandings in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is leaving scientists mystified and Congress considering its options.
Massachusetts Reps. Ed Markey and Bill Keating have already held a committee briefing on the issue, calling for additional information and an examination of the issue by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Jane Lubchenco.
Rep. Ed Markey, who is Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee, collaborated with Rep. Keating on arranging a congressional briefing to explore the causes of these troubling occurrences.
“Dolphins are recognized as intelligent creatures, and something troubling and tragic is occurring in Massachusetts’ waters and on her beaches. That’s why we need to give our best scientists and rescuers all the resources they need so they can apply their intelligence to discovering the cause of these deaths and save as many dolphins as is possible,” said Mr. Markey, whose Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over ocean and species issues.
“The recent mass strandings of dolphins along Cape Cod’s shoreline is concerning for a multitude of reasons – primarily the large number of dolphin deaths coupled with our lack of knowledge as to why it happened,” said Mr. Keating. “Our first priority must be to learn as much as we can about the strandings in the hope of preventing them in the future. As both a resident of Cape Cod and life-long animal lover, I want to thank the entire IFAW Rescue and Research team as well as all the volunteers who have selflessly dedicated their time and energy to aiding these helpless mammals.”
The congressional briefing comes as over the course of the last month, 177 short-beaked common dolphins have stranded on Cape Cod, and 124 have died.
A congressional briefing is not the only political issue attached to the beached dolphin rescue. A grant program that has been a major source of funding for marine mammal rescues nationwide may fall victim to the federal budget ax — to be replaced with a network of private donations, according to local reports. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank said Monday that funding for marine mammal rescue remains attached to a series of budget cuts proposed by the Obama administration. Under the budget released by the White House on Monday, the Obama administration would eliminate the program from NOAA’s budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1.
