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Users of waterways should pay attention to marine fauna in summer

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Users of waterways should pay attention to marine fauna in summer
Photo by Paige Finley, submitted to the Maryland DNR Photo Contest.

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland. – Summer is here and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources wants to remind people that marine animals – dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, whales and others – return seasonally to the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, as well as the Atlantic Ocean and coastal bays.

Anyone who sees a marine mammal or sea turtle in Maryland waters is urged to report it to the state’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program at 800-628-9944. Anglers, boaters and beachgoers should be especially alert for stranded, dead, sick, injured or entangled animals.

Anyone who encounters a stranded marine mammal, whether alive or dead, should, in addition to calling the program’s hotline, follow these steps if possible:

  • Do not touch the animal.
  • Record the location with latitude and longitude, street address and/or description with landmarks.
  • Estimate and record length, size, color, notable body parts, and movements (if alive).
  • Take photos of the animal.
  • If possible, stay at a safe distance from the animal until stranding personnel reach you.

The most common visitors to Maryland are bottlenose dolphins and loggerhead turtles, but more than 25 other species of marine mammals and four species of sea turtles have been recorded in the state’s waters.

The Division’s Stranded Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Program works closely with the National Aquarium to respond to reports of stranded marine animals in Maryland’s waters and coasts.

Marine mammals are specifically protected by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. In addition, sea turtles and whales are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is illegal to harass, touch, feed, capture, or collect these marine animals, alive or dead, including any animal body parts or skeletal remains or specimens.

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