MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Maya Rodriguez – “NEW ORLEANS– It’s been a busy few months for Suzanne Smith of the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

‘We keep all kinds of species here,’ she said.

Smith is also a part of the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program. Just last week alone, she conducted necropsies on three dead dolphins found near Grand Isle.

‘We’re finding, unfortunately, more dead dolphins than we normally would,’ Smith said. ‘So, the testing on the necropsies has gotten very strict and we are taking duplicate and triplicate samples on all parts, externally and internally on these animals, to try and find out what is happening out in the wild population.’

Since the beginning of the month, 14 marine mammals, including a dozen dolphins, have been found along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Half of the dead dolphins washed up on the Louisiana coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls it an ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ in the northern Gulf and next month will mark two years since it began. The tally so far: 630 dead.

The event started in February of 2010 – two months before the oil spill began. Still, the deaths raise a red flag with the Gulf Restoration Network.” Read more.