Fin Whale Stranding & Rescue -- 1979
A 40 ft. (~60,000 lbs.) adolescent (or sub-adolescent) fin whale stranded near the 7-Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida Keys, in 1979. In cooperation with Florida authorities the Dolphin Research Center (then: "Institute for Delphinid Research") spent several hours with the whale in shallow waters. The Coast Guard determined that the whale must be moved to deeper water, if at all possible, or it would become a health hazard and a hinderance to navigation. In the off-camera scenes, Mandy Rodriguez, John Lomax, and I got under the whale and tied a rope under its dorsals. The other end was connected to the 40-ft. Coast Guard vessel, who tugged at the whale. The video was re-started when I scrambled on board our boat, showing the fin whale spiral out of the rope harness. The voice in command throughout is Jayne Rodriguez. Note in the beginning how she and Mandy identify the whale species conclusively by the light coloring on the lower right front. Also note Jayne's 'Uh-oh' as she sees her husband Mandy lift the whale's head up and guide it 'with only one finger.' After the on-camera events, the whale was guided between our boat and the Coast Guard vessel toward the Gulf Stream. Once it hit deep waters it performed a characteristic flip of the fluke and sounded. The whale went into the Gulf Stream and we didn't see it again. A few months later we heard of a large whale carcass, perhaps a fin, found in the Bahamas. It's possible that it was the same whale, or not. We'll never know. I like to think of this as an actual case of 'saving the whales.' Footnote: This stranding occurred in the same weekend as a Minke Whale stranding (with typically fatal outcome) in the Content Keys. For more information on the Dolphin Research Center: www.dolphins.org
A 40 ft. (~60,000 lbs.) adolescent (or sub-adolescent) fin whale stranded near the 7-Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida Keys, in 1979. In cooperation with Florida authorities the Dolphin Research Center (then: "Institute for Delphinid Research") spent several hours with the whale in shallow waters. The Coast Guard determined that the whale must be moved to deeper water, if at all possible, or it would become a health hazard and a hinderance to navigation. In the off-camera scenes, Mandy Rodriguez, John Lomax, and I got under the whale and tied a rope under its dorsals. The other end was connected to the 40-ft. Coast Guard vessel, who tugged at the whale. The video was re-started when I scrambled on board our boat, showing the fin whale spiral out of the rope harness. The voice in command throughout is Jayne Rodriguez. Note in the beginning how she and Mandy identify the whale species conclusively by the light coloring on the lower right front. Also note Jayne's 'Uh-oh' as she sees her husband Mandy lift the whale's head up and guide it 'with only one finger.' After the on-camera events, the whale was guided between our boat and the Coast Guard vessel toward the Gulf Stream. Once it hit deep waters it performed a characteristic flip of the fluke and sounded. The whale went into the Gulf Stream and we didn't see it again. A few months later we heard of a large whale carcass, perhaps a fin, found in the Bahamas. It's possible that it was the same whale, or not. We'll never know. I like to think of this as an actual case of 'saving the whales.' Footnote: This stranding occurred in the same weekend as a Minke Whale stranding (with typically fatal outcome) in the Content Keys. For more information on the Dolphin Research Center: www.dolphins.org