Many people on the eastern shore this time of year are excited to go to a beach on the Atlantic and go spot some dolphins in the ocean. What if I told you they were closer to the nation’s capital than you thought?
I’ve always heard story’s growing up fishing the Colonial Beach area of the Potomac River that people would often have dolphin sightings. I even made jokes when were first set that “Everyone says they see dolphins out here, I think they’re liars” The only thing we would ever see coming out of the water was the Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera Bonasus) sticking their fins out of the water. That was until this past weekend at least.
I set off around 3:00 PM (after charging the battery for the boat) with a small group which consisted of my sister, her boyfriend, and my girlfriend in hopes to land and harvest some Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) as well as troll for some Blue Fish (Pomatomus saltatrix) which rumor has were running. We ended up stopping in Wicomo River near Cobb Island to try our luck. The first thing we noticed was tons of jellyfish in our surrounding area which gave me the thought “This is pretty salty water. Must be good fish here”
After catching a few small croakers and not much else, I couldn’t help but notice other boats stopped in this river approximately 250 yards down river from us where I told everyone else on the boat “It looks like others are fishing this area. Maybe it’s a good spot.” Not five minutes later someone yells “Dolphins!” To my surprise at least 30 Bottlenose Dolphins with calves were headed straight for us. The rumors were true, and I was in disbelief. Turns out those other boats were not fishing. But following the dolphins.
Since the 1840’s there have been dolphin sightings as far north as Alexandria in the Potomac. “Over the past four years, researchers from Georgetown University’s Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project have been cataloguing dolphins in the lake-like area where the Potomac joins the Chesapeake Bay, reports Bruillard for the Post. In 2015, they counted only 200 individuals. Now, population has reached more than 1,000 individuals in the area, with several small groups of 200 dolphins hanging out in the river. Some have even swam upstream within 50 miles of Washington, D.C.” Says Jason Daley in the Smithsonian Magazine.
It is thought that dolphins go to the Potomac to feed, birth, find shelter, and stay away from natural predators. With the abundance of fish and crab I have seen over the years it doesn’t surprise me these beautiful creatures come here. I never would have thought the excitement I get at the beach seeing them swim around in the ocean could be seen so close to home. You can help the dolphins by supporting the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project.