Maryport Dolphin Rescue Report

During the summer of 2005 and through to the winter season there were apparently up to three bottlenose dolphin spotted visiting the harbours and coastline of North West Cumbria, mainly Maryport, Workington and Whitehaven harbours. It was not until early January that BDMLR became concerned for the safety of a single dolphin which had passed through a lock gate and was inside a marina.

BDMLR’s regional co-ordinators Jenny & Rob Watkins attended on site and working with the local coastguard and the marina office staff, made several attempts at trying to encourage the dolphin out of the harbour using a boat.

After almost two weeks of the dolphin staying in the marina, BDMLR started to become concerned about the attention the dolphin was getting and was also worried about reports of stones plus other items being thrown at the dolphin. It begged the question of why the dolphin was staying. No one reported seeing the dolphin outside the harbour at this stage, and every visit made to the marine found the dolphin inside even when the lock gates were closed.

Maryport Marina has a lock gate which is hinged on the floor and just over two hours before high tide the lock gates are opened and just over two hours after high tide the gates are closed to hold in enough water and to prevent the marina draining out completely.

It was noticed that in order to exit the marina and harbour the dolphin would have to pass through a long narrow lock passage and then turn 90 degrees left in order to leave as there was a large harbour wall directly opposite the entrance to the marina. BDMLR decided that another attempt should be made to encourage the dolphin out of its own accord and to assess the condition of the dolphin and why it was staying there.

After extensive e-mail discussions BDMLR decided on an attempt on Saturday 21st January. I travelled up to Maryport on Thursday 19th January and met Laura Stansfield from the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society and was also joined the following day by BDMLR director Bob Archell and former dolphin trainer plus BDMLR consultant Doug Cartlidge.

The three of us spent some time looking at the dolphin’s behaviour and the design of the area in more detail and talking to various people who work and live in the area. It concerned us that the view through the lock gates could cause confusion for the dolphin attempting to exit the marina. It concerned us that several people had already attempted to interact with the dolphin and wanted to swim or touch it. Looking at photos taken by visitors to the marina, it was obvious that the dolphin’s skin colour was changing and becoming lighter. This was felt to be as a result of fresh water in the marina being higher than that out at sea. We were also concerned that the dolphins body condition was not brilliant with a flat lumber muscle. We did not consider this detrimental at this stage, as it was swimming and not stranded on a hard surface. There had also been a report in the media of someone shooting at the dolphin but this turned out not to be true. There was a lot of media interest in the dolphin locally, and this was drawing several thousand people at weekends. Some local people started talking about the dolphin staying and becoming a tourist attraction like “Fungi” at Dingle in Ireland. This too worried BDMLR that a wild dolphin could end up as a humanised dolphin. To BDMLR it appeared that the dolphin was trapped in the marina and did not either know how to exit or was frightened of using the exit of the marina. We were all concerned for its long term survival as a result of all these issues.

On Saturday 21st January, BDMLR consultant vet James Barnett and experienced BDMLR Coordinators Lissa Goodwin, James Brett, along with several other BDMLR medics arrived at Maryport to help encourage the dolphin to leave. Several methods were used to entice and encourage the dolphin to leave. This included using boat engine noise, buoys as well as swimmers in the water, to name a few. These were all considered to be the easy options and worth trying to establish better behaviour of the dolphin and to find out more about the dolphins reaction to different stimuli. A net was initially placed across the lock to drop into the water once the dolphin entered the lock area. It was useful to note that the dolphin refused to enter the lock area at all whilst this was in place and as a result had to be removed.

Unfortunately the dolphin did not leave the harbour and as darkness fell the team packed away. Two debriefs took place one with the Police, Marina representative, Coastguard and medics and a second just with BDMLR medics to discuss the days events and how we progress. It concerned us that a couple of local residents had claimed during the day that the dolphin was going in and out of the marina of its own free will.

I agreed to stay and look at the possibility of other more technical efforts to encourage the dolphin to leave and to look at its behaviour in more details helped by Laura Stansfield. Although at every high and low tide, plus almost every lock gate opening and closing, someone had been present there was no indication that the dolphin was leaving the marina. We also found it hard to believe that the dolphin would re-enter the marina before the lock gates closed on every low tide.

The stories of whether the dolphin was coming and going of its own accord seemed to change throughout our stay. On the Sunday (22nd) and Monday (23rd) there was a sudden group of local residents who claimed that the dolphin was now coming and going of its own accord. However this also changed to being only leaving at night at one point. Laura and I started visiting the lock during the night and looking at high tides and most lock opening and closing times. The dolphin was present on all occasions. Two out of three lock keepers spoken during the night time visits stated that they did not believe that the dolphin was leaving the marina at all.

On one early morning visit we witnessed a local man throwing dead fish into the marina for the dolphin. We were shocked at the speed in which the dolphin swam over to this person and seemed to be taking the fish. On speaking with this person we were told that he had been doing so for some time. We ask him to stop doing so as it would encourage the dolphin to stay and help it to become humanised.

We were fully aware that the London Thames Whale rescue had kept the national media away and it was decided to play the situation at Maryport down as much as possible and only involve local media when necessary, in order to try and limit the number of people visiting the marina.

It was obvious that a segment of the local community was against any idea of us removing or encouraging the dolphin to leave. Laura did a great job in talking to as many people as possible and almost everyone we spoke to seemed happy and agree with our concerns. Unfortunately a small group of people would not listen and latched on to any information which could be misconstrued and turned to look negative on our efforts to help the dolphin.

Laura and I grew concerned that the dolphin seemed to be showing signs of repetitive behaviour and that the skin colour was also becoming more pale. We noticed that the dolphin would swim into the entrance of the lock gates but not pass over the gates as it was lying under the water. This made us wonder if the dolphin was frightened of passing over the lock gates as this would be the shallowest depth of water.

Doug Cartlidge re-joined us at Maryport on Tuesday 24th January and led efforts to construct a bubble curtain in an attempt to encourage the dolphin out of the marina. Thanks to Hewden Hire at Whitehaven for very generously providing high pressure pipes and a compressor. Holes were drilled in the pipe approximately 12 inches apart. This pipe was put in place across the lock entrance with weights to hold it down. Rob and Jenny Watkins suited up with their diving gear and checked the pipe to ensure it would not cause a problem for boats passing in and out of the marina.

We left the pipe in place for over 24 hours to allow the dolphin to become comfortable with the pipe being in place and within several hours the dolphin was seen to cross the pipe. We decided not to fire up the compressor until the following day to ensure the dolphin would ignore the pipe completely.

On Wednesday 25th January the compressors were turned on and medics played a waiting game hoping that the dolphin would cross. Within an hour of the lock gates being opened, the dolphin crossed the pipe and the bubble curtain was fire up. This certainly spooked the dolphin and it shot at high speed towards the lock gates but turned at the last minute before challenging the bubble curtain at its weakest point at the far corner and off into the centre of the marina. Several more attempts were made and the same result happened each time. This made us even more certain that the dolphin was frightened of crossing the lock gates.

We tried again on Thursday (26th) and then we decided to ask for a second compressor and set of hoses and placed two lines of pipe across the lock entrance. We again decided to wait until the highest possible tide on the Friday and Saturday before giving the bubble curtain another go.

On the Friday BDMLR directors, WDCS as well as Trevor and Doug at Maryport had a conference call to discuss the way forward and further ideas of encouraging the dolphin to leave. We informed everyone of the news that the marina had partially iced over due to the low saline levels which were backed up by saline test of the water in the marina. This worried everyone as only a month previous the marina had almost completely iced over and as a result could seriously wound the back of the dolphin and put the dolphin at risk of pneumonia or hypothermia. It was decided to have another go at using the bubble curtain and to look at the possibility of driving the dolphin out using either a sonar curtain or noise curtain. WDCS agreed to speak to English Nature and seek approval for our rescue attempts, they also agreed to speak to the RSPCA’s national office to ensure they were on side too.

That same day Doug and I decided to go back down onto the pontoons and have a closer look at the dolphin’s skin condition after being shown a photo of some strange markings on its side. Although these marks could not be seen on the dolphin’s body and were thought to only be water marks, we were both shocked to see such a difference in the dolphins lumber muscle and skin tone which was now starting to be concave in places. We also watched the dolphin chase a fish and appear to have difficulty in catching it.

Doug and I phoned James Barnett and requested the presence of a knowledgeable cetacean vet as soon as possible, preferably James as he had seen the dolphin the previous week. Unfortunately due to work and a training course James was not available. However Cameron McPherson was able to visit the site on the Monday.

On Saturday 27th January Doug and I tried again with the bubble curtain but the reaction was the same and the bubble curtain did not work sufficiently well enough for it to be worth trying any other ideas which could be tried quickly and easily.

The condition of the dolphin was very worrying and BDMLR chairman Alan Knight agreed to attend on site and help assess the possibility of a full capture and rescue in case the dolphins condition warranted it. We were all started to become concerned that if the dolphins’ body condition became too poor it may be too weak to survive. We wanted to avoid getting to this at all costs, so a rescue plan was developed.

The rest of Saturday and Sunday was spent trying to assess rescue options and the risk to both rescuers and the dolphin, in preparation for Alan’s arrival from Sussex. Eventually it was agreed that the only possible capture and rescue attempt would have to be made by draining the marina at low tide and physically catching the dolphin with a net and lifting it out of the marina and then being taken out to sea.

This was not going to be easy and we knew there would be a small risk of killing the dolphin by doing so, but this was better than a 100% chance of the dolphin dying if left alone. Experienced BDMLR medics Tim Bain and Dan Jarvis were placed on standby to drive up from Cornwall to Cumbria due to their previous experience of handling lively dolphins in water. Medics Lissa Goodwin and vet Darryl Thorpe were also asked to standby in case they were needed for the rescue attempt.

Alan arrived on Sunday (29th) and agreed with our assessment of the dolphin condition. It was decided to call in the Cornwall team as well as other BDMLR medics including Nick Duthie from Aberdeen, Graham Shaw from Newcastle and others. So that they could spend time getting to know the site and the environment they were going to be working in.

Monday morning the local TV and radio stations turned up to see what was happening as they had heard we might attempt further ideas to encourage the dolphin out. We decided not to speak to the press or make an announcement until after the final decision of whether a rescue would take place and when it would happen was agreed. It was agreed to hold a press conference at 12.30pm.

Cameron McPherson arrived in the Morning and along with the Cornwall crew they were shown the site and after an assessment of the dolphins condition and from checking the tide tables. It was agreed that we had no choice but to attempt a rescue that same day.

I was dispatched to Workington Fire Station to arrange the use of their mud rescue equipment and lighting as low tide was as it was getting dark. The Coastguard agreed to help out with the use of rope safety equipment and the local boat yard at MP Marine agreed to hire a crane for us to lift the dolphin out of the harbour. Maryport Inshore Rescue Boat also agreed to position themselves on the top of the marina with their boat on its launch trailer ready to do a sea launch from the beach as it would be low tide and no boats would be able to reach the harbour entrance from the sea. The police were also informed. English Nature agreed to the rescue attempt too and the local RSPCA Chief Inspector and local Inspectors were also on side and agreed to attempt and help out in any way possible.

The press conference was held and the local media informed of the pending rescue that day. They were asked not to broadcast the rescue in advance purely for public safety reasons.

BDMLR’s rescue RIB ‘Naomi 2’ was launched and taken into the marina before low tide. At approximately 3pm a long spare section of pontoon from the marina was dragged down and placed across the entrance to the harbour. A net was also weighted and lowered beneath the pontoon to stop the dolphin entering the lock area and becoming injured in the shallow water near the metal gates. The water receded slowly as the tide drained away. Giving medics time to get into position and prepare themselves.

At low tide all that remained was a pool of water about 3ft deep at most and about 40ft x 50ft wide in front of the entrance to the lock passage. The rest of the marina was just mud flats. Medics were lined along the pontoon ensuring the dolphin didn’t challenge the net under the pontoon. Doug, Tim and Dan entered the water stretched a second thicker net across the pool. They then slowly curved the net round the back of the dolphin which eventually challenged the net and became caught. Doug held the pectoral fins to prevent the dolphin from diving down and the three of them held the dolphins’ blow hole out of the water to prevent it from drowning. Cameron and I jumped in the water to help gain control of the dolphin which was then slowly moved across to the Naomi moored against the pontoon. A canvas stretcher was then fed along the side of the dolphin and underneath its body. I left the water and headed to the top of the marina wall whilst the strops from the crane was lowered and attached to the stretcher at either end and a tyre used to hold the top of the stretcher apart.

At the top of the marina wall the Inshore rescue boat was manoeuvred into place ready for the dolphin to be lowered onto an airbed in a human scoop stretcher lying across the front of the boat. I was joined by our vet Cameron, Doug and Tracy from the Coastguard who helped hold the dolphin in place. Cameron checked the dolphin over whilst the tractor drove the trailer across to the beach. Cameron stated the dolphin was still fit enough for a release as the crew of the rescue boat powered away from the shore as quickly as possible to find suitably deep enough water.

It only took a few minutes to get a mile off shore and find water approximately 7 metres deep. However we noticed nets had been placed so we decided to move away from them before doing the release. The stretcher was pushed over the edge of the boat and lowered into the water. Everyone scanned the surface of the water waiting for the dolphin to surface and within about 20 seconds the dolphin breached the surface of the water and headed away. At the same time shouts of “there it is” were heard from a second rescue rib shadowing Maryport’s Inshore Rescue Boat. However this was not our dolphin it was a second dolphin about 40 metres away. Both boat crews were amazed to watch both dolphins join up and head off out into the Irish Sea and deeper water.

The boat returned to the beach where Alan announced the good news to the waiting media. The release was due to be filmed but permission was refused at the last minute for the local lifeboat to be used to take the media out.

Interviews were given to the local media and equipment packed away before retiring to a local pub for a celebration meal and drink.

I agreed to stay on at Maryport for a couple of days to check local beaches and monitor what happened at the harbour. Luckily there was no sign of the dolphin revisiting the outer marina or any sign of the dolphin dead on local beaches.

Trevor Weeks
National Co-ordinator
BDMLR