Particularly pertinent to the demolition project at John’s Pass, little calf Qball and three compatriots cavorted out of the range of danger.
This morning’s survey for dolphins was very dramatic, partly because we hardly saw any dolphins. Curiously, that was the whole point.
We headed east instead of west at first light, searching for dolphins as always. Today was special because, with the dolphins’ cooperation, the most powerful demolition at the John’s Pass Bridge reconstruction site yet was scheduled for 8 a.m.
We focused on the waters around John’s Pass where the dolphins have been lately. Pertinent to today’s project, the dolphins often leave these areas and go into John’s Pass. It was imperative that they did not go to John’s Pass this particular morning.
Many of our local dolphins have already left for the winter; we see about half as many dolphins this time of year as during the summer. Because dolphins go offshore in the winter, this is pertinent to the timing of coastal demolitions in general. Blasts scheduled for the cold months will have fewer marine mammals to deal with, on average, than those scheduled for the warm months.
Nonetheless, there are still some dolphins around here, mostly mothers with the tiny calves born this summer. Indeed, on the most recent survey before today, they assembled in John’s Pass and then headed out to hunt under the bridge. Today’s ebb tidal current provided the same conditions. We held our breaths.
For once pleased not to find any dolphins, we took our place between two Pinellas County Sheriff boats in the Watch Zone. The Watch Zone is one of four zones designated by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS pronounced ‘nymphs’) to minimize the potential harm to marine wildlife during demolition.
The Injury Zone is the span around the blast center where mortality would occur; mortality is not expected beyond this zone. Like the next ring on an archer’s target, the Harassment Zone is the area with the potential for injury. Together, these two zones form the Impact Zone.
The Impact Zone identifies the area around the blast center where adverse effects would be expected to occur. The John’s Pass Impact Zone was calculated at 1965 feet, marked off with large orange buoys. Sheriffs kept all boats out of this area.
The Watch Zone is an additional buffer beyond the Impact Zone that is also monitored for marine mammals heading into danger. Calculated at 2265 feet from the blast center and marked with large white buoys, it was the place where time stopped as two dolphins headed towards the Impact Zone just as the blast went off.
Even the weather and seas cooperated. Remarkably, the sky was crystal clear and the seas were perfectly flat. Yesterday, cold winds prodded the seas into whitecaps all day, making for nightmarish observational conditions. This morning’s perfect observational conditions were particularly pertinent to the many observers watching out for marine mammals.
The anticipation for 8 a.m. was only calmed by the absence of dolphins and manatees in John’s Pass. But when 8 a.m. came and went, we realized the blast was delayed.
According to Bruce Hasbrouck, Environmental Services director of Faller, Davis & Associated (company building the new bridge), the detonation would be automatically delayed 30 minutes if marine mammals were seen. As we settled in to wait out the next half hour, we knew dolphins were at the Pass. We couldn’t see them from our watch spot but they most likely included local bulls who spend their time there (N, BB, DD2 and Midface).
When the empty bridge suggested demolition was imminent, my heart sunk. Two dolphins headed towards the Watch Zone.
“Radio Bruce! Tell them there’s dolphins here!” I cried to Capt. John Heidemann.
“Not until they’re past the white buoys,” he replied.
When the dolphins were one flipper thrust from the buffer zone, the bridge exploded with a mighty boom.
The dolphins shot north, only stopping a quarter mile away. Both adult females who’d lost their calves this summer, Jagger and Courtney slowly turned around and headed back towards John’s Pass.
Jagger’s behavior did not seem unusual. She seemed intent on a destination. Courtney lagged behind, behaving a bit strangely. She sometimes rafted just under the surface and leaned sideways a couple of times. Is she listing or lazily grabbing a fish snack? As we trailed them back to John’s Pass, I considered the trials of Courtney’s summer.
Following a long bout with a nasty skin condition, Courtney gave birth the first week of June. Cetay was an overly active calf, lunging at the surface as if gasping for breath, something that characterizes calves who do not survive. By the end of August, Courtney had another ‘skin condition’-- fresh bites from Mack the Knife. Little Cetay was gone. When Jagger appeared with a new calf in September, the long-term mystery of her gender was solved. We’ll never solve the mystery of her little one’s fate.
In the aftermath of the successful explosion, divers descended to check the scatter of debris as the dolphins returned to business as usual. We ran the periphery again as we had at dawn. Happily, we found a large nursery group … heading into John’s Pass! Talk about pertinent to the project!
Dr. Weaver studies wild dolphins under federal permit GA1088-1815, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Send her an e-mail at dazzled@tampabay.rr.com or visit www.dazzlingdolphins.com.
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