Fisheries officials unable to help dolphins trapped by ice in N.L. harbour
HEARTS DELIGHT, N.L. — A Canadian Coast Guard vessel was unable to help a group of dolphins trapped by ice in a Newfoundland harbour Tuesday.
Officials say heavy ice in Heart’s Delight has cut off the dolphins’ exit route, leaving them enclosed in a shrinking pool of water.
A statement from the Fisheries Department says it requested help from a coast guard ship that was in the area, more than an hour outside St. John’s, for routine ice reconnaissance.
It says the ship attempted to go into the harbour, but it was determined attempts to shift the ice would be “very dangerous” for the dolphins and cause them additional stress.