Chesapeake Bay expert says more dolphin sightings means bay is recovering

By Dan Ronan

If you’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay lately you might have seen bottlenose dolphins in the water. Experts said the sightings are becoming more common, especially as the water gets warmer, and it’s another indication the Chesapeake Bay is making a recovery.

As the water warms, more bottlenose dolphins are being seen further north in the bay. In the coming weeks, you’ll see them past the Bay Bridge and far north of the waters near Baltimore.

Dolphin expert Jamie Testa at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science said dolphins being seen deeper into the bay is an annual trend, but one that appears to be increasing.

“It’s a wonderful sign that our beloved bottlenose dolphins are coming into the Bay. They are feeding. They are bringing their young. It signals really good things about our fisheries and that they can find a diversity of food here,” Testa said. “It points to a sign of things improving and things being hospitable for them.”

Researchers break the Chesapeake Bay up into thirds for the purposes of watching and monitoring the dolphins. From the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean to the Virginia/Maryland state line is one-third of the bay, and it’s not uncommon to see dolphins in those waters year-round.

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The next third runs North to the Bay Bridge, and dolphins are usually seen there in the spring and summer.

The final third includes the waters north into Baltimore and the various rivers and tributaries that flow into the Chesapeake. Dolphins usually begin showing up there regularly in late May through September.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, bottlenose dolphins are highly intelligent and can live, in some cases, up to 60 years. They are generally found in tropical seawater, but Testa said it’s not uncommon, especially in the summer months, to find them in brackish water, which has a salt content higher than freshwater but lower than seawater.

Dolphins are social, but she recommended that people don’t get too close.

“They can see them from their waterfront yards, their back decks, having a cup of coffee in the morning,” Testa said. “If you are watching dolphins responsibly, you are maintaining about 50 yards of distance.”

She said dolphins are natural performers, especially if they know people are watching.

You can follow where bottlenose dolphins have been spotted at Chesapeake Dolphin Watch’s website.

– As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Dan Ronan Click here for the WTOP News website.