Some were rescued and others are still trapped while three perished.
Heart’s Delight-Islington Mayor Melvin Harnum said he first heard about the incident around 9.30am on Friday.
He said rescue efforts began within hours when personnel from the local fire department and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada team arrived on the scene.
The mayor said a group of onlookers had formed to watch the rescue efforts. He added that it was heartbreaking to see the animals fighting because they were unable to break free due to sharp rocks along the shore.
“They were trapped on the beach and were fighting. »
— A quote from Melvin Harnum, Mayor of Heart’s Delight-Islington
Rescuers were able to free some dolphins by crossing the sea ice on a pelican sled late Friday afternoon.
According to the mayor, the dolphins stayed there for a few moments. They threatened to get stuck again when the water began to freeze at a tide turn, but they eventually dove.
Several dolphins were rescued on Friday
Wayne Ledwell, Co-Director of Whale Release and Strandings Group based in Portugal Cove-St. Philips confirms that many dolphins were rescued on Friday with the help of townspeople. He states that rescuers were at the scene Saturday morning and that dolphins are still wading in the ice.
Dolphins can’t take it, claims Wayne Ledwell, who says he knows three dolphins are dead.
He goes on to say that he has rescued dolphins in similar situations before and says residents play a big part in the rescue effort as many of them are familiar with ocean currents and the layout of the port.
There is no manual for it. There are no logs. It’s all so dynamic. The ice is changing, people have to act very quickly and try to move these animals, he says.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the Whale Release and Strandings Group is on the ground and, with help from fisheries officials and the community, is working to relocate the animals to Whiteway, which is currently ice-free.
Local residents have experienced a similar situation in the past. In 2018, seven white-beaked dolphins were caught near the town’s wharf. Eventually the rescue operation had been successful, but it had taken days.
With information from CBC’s Jessica Singer and Rafsan Faruque Jugol