Scientists keep an eye on sick dolphin

Biologists from the Riverhead Foundation continue to monitor a sick dolphin in the Great South Bay off Jones Beach, the marine group's program director said Thursday.

The 6-foot male was sighted circling off Jones Beach by the No. 2 Meadowbrook Bridge near the Jones Inlet Wednesday at about 2 p.m., said Kim Durham, program director with the nonprofit Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

"As long as the animal is still swimming free in the water, there's a limit to what we can do," Durham said.

Specialists assessed the dolphin, known as a common dolphin, on Wednesday, and Durham said there were signs the dolphin was not healthy, with bleeding around its fin and cuts and scrapes on its body.

Swimming in circles and bobbing its head repeatedly "generally mean an animal is in distress," she said. Also, boaters have reported the dolphin has come so close to them that they could touch him. "That's very alarming because dolphins don't generally seek out boats," she said.

Bay constables, the Coast Guard and Nassau County marine police are helping to monitor the animal, calling the foundation with updates on its location and swimming pattern, Durham said.

"If the dolphin does approach land, then our team is ready to respond," she said.

Durham asked that boaters, swimmers and others stay away from the dolphin. "What might be perceived as friendly behavior by the animal might not be," she said.

The common dolphin rarely swims alone or comes so close to shore.