The scars and notches on a dolphin's dorsal fin are a common sight for Keith Rittmaster.

For 20 years he's traversed the waters around Beaufort identifying dolphins by their dorsal fins and then tracking their movements and behaviors.

But the scars and cuts he saw on a young dolphin earlier this month were the kind he'd rather not
see again. Cuts down both sides of the dolphin's mouth showed where fishing line had cut into the bone. A gash near the tail went nearly to the spine.

The only greater wound of the day was learning that the best efforts of a rescue team were unable to save the calf, which had been entangled in the discarded fishing line for at several days, at least.

"The baby died in our arms in front of the mom," said Rittmaster, who helped organize the rescue team of professionals and volunteers led by Aleta Hohn, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lab in Beaufort, North Caroline.

Hohn said one reward from the rescue is the lesson to be learned. Lost or "ghost" fishing gear and other items left in area waters can potentially cause problems for dolphins and other marine mammals.

"It would be good if people make sure all fishing gear comes home with them and is not left free in the water where it becomes an opportunity for entanglement," she said.

Likewise, she said, litter such as plastic can cause death or injury when swallowed by the animals.

In the case of the calf, the fishing line had cut so badly into the dolphin by the time of the rescue, that it's unlikely to have survived even if it had been released, Hohn said.

Rittmaster received better news last week with a new sighting of the mother, who was first identified in Beaufort waters in 1992 and is known as "Yang."

Mothers and calves typically travel together within larger groups. The fact that Yang and her calf were spotted together outside of a group was some indication of a problem. Yang had apparently chosen to stay with her calf rather than with a group. There was concern of what would happen after the calf's death.

"It was very heartening to see her with a group" and acting normally, Rittmaster said.

Rittmaster, who conducts the dolphin research program as part of the North Carolina Maritime Museum's Cape Lookout Studies program, is also pleased with the cooperative spirit shown between both professional colleagues and area volunteers in making the rescue attempt possible.

The calf was first seen entangled on Jan. 11, and soon after a decision was made that the situation was potentially life-threatening and linked to human action. Work began to organize the staff and equipment
needed for a rescue.

On the morning of Jan. 13, a team of 20-plus people from six local institutions on six different boats set out to find Yang and her calf.

While it would have been nice if the rescue could have begun immediately, Rittmaster said it takes time to get together professionals such as veterinarians and biologists as well as the volunteers and equipment.

It's one reason he'd like the Cape Lookout Studies dolphin program ready any time to assist with rescues.

Rescues are only a small part of the work Rittmaster does, but each one goes hand-in-hand with the dolphin research project.

Each photo-identification of a dolphin is helping to provide more information about the residency, travel, association and reproduction patterns of the bottlenose dolphins in area waters.

Better understanding of bottlenose dolphins also means better protection of them.

A desire to protect the dolphins motivates Rittmaster as he heads out on the water each week to find them. That same desire has had him tracking "dolphins" on land as well.

Since 2002, "Protect Wild Dolphins" license plates have been available to motorists in North Carolina. The license plates feature a logo with a pair of leaping dolphins and $20 from the sale of each plate goes each year to support the education, conservation and research programs of the maritime museum.

So far, more than $29,000 has funneled into the dolphin program and Rittmaster said part of those funds play
a part in rescues.

"Funds from the license plates will help play for fuel and other equipment used in the rescue for
this dolphin," he said.

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Scientists and researchers who gathered along Mallini Bayou since early February were baffled by a pod of dolphins that have been swimming in circles for the last three days.

The Gulf of Mexico has the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in the world and at least five of them, including a small calf, swam through a canal and into the bayou sometime Sunday night.

It has been more than 30 years since a dolphin has been sighted in Mallini Bayou, and residents have enjoyed the free entertainment. But after watching the dolphins swim in the same area for several days, concerned neighbors decided to call Dr. Delphine Vanderpool at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.

"There could be a few reasons why they're here," Vanderpool said. "They could be trying to keep the young calf in a secluded area and away from predators, or maybe they came in looking for food and the tide dropped. We just don't know."

If the dolphins are trapped by low tide or some other obstruction, Vanderpool has concerns about whether
the bayou can supply enough food until the water rises again.

Steve Byrd, whose back yard overlooks the bayou, said neighbors gathered on Monday to watch the dolphins feast on mullet, picking up and flipping the half-eaten fish into the air before gulping them down.

"My neighbor goes fishing everyday in this bayou, right from her back deck," Byrd said. "She said she hadn't caught a fish in three days, so I don't know how much food they have left in there."

Scientists tested the salinity levels of the bayou water and the results read low. Dolphins can stand low salinity for several days, but the brackish water will soon take a toll on their skin.

Shooting wet air from their blowholes, the dolphins splashed and played in a small area near the center of the bayou, and Vanderpool said the pod is not in distress.

At its deepest point, the bayou is normally less than 15 feet deep and researchers suspect it could be as shallow as four to five feet in some areas.

Byrd and other neighbors said they haven't noticed a boat drive through the bayou since Sunday, but the concern remains for researchers, wondering how long traffic can stay light.

Bottlenose dolphins are under the protection of the National Marine Fisheries Service, and researcher Keith Mulligan said people should not try to approach them.

"People are supposed to stay at least 100 yards from the dolphins, according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act," Mulligan said. "They could face a pretty significant fine and even jail time."

Vanderpool and researchers at IMMS say they will monitor the dolphins for the next several days, but if the pod doesn't find a way out soon, they may need an escort.

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