It was almost one year ago that a small pod of dolphin smiled for my camera while I was on a fishing pier on the Chesapeake Bay. This was the first pod of dolphin that I'd ever seen or photographed that presented more that just their dorsal fins. The next day during post processing I noticed that one dolphin (far left) appeared to have a constriction of some sort around its body. I really didn't know if anything could be done about it at this late stage, but decided to notify the Virginia Marine Aquarium Response Team just the same. After reviewing a few of my photos, they informed me that the constriction was not life threatening and was the result of a previous constriction caused by "gear" that had since been removed. The black hitchhikers on their dorsal fins are stalked barnacles, typical of coastal migratory and offshore dolphins.
On a sadder note, in mid-January, I reported observing a dead dolphin on the shore near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnell. The Virginia Marine Aquarium retrieved the dolphin and performed a necropsy. They informed me that it was a pregnant female and the cause of death appeared to be entanglement.
