SEA BRIGHT — As the number of remaining dolphins in the Shrewsbury River dwindles, the decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) not to intervene is perplexing to advocates.

Andrew Mencinsky, executive director of the Surfers' Environmental Alliance (SEA), said NOAA should have stepped in to help the pod, which was originally about 15 dolphins when first noticed in June and now is down to about five dolphins.

"We are extremely angry that NOAA has taken this position, [by] which they have completely ignored many of the local environmental organizations, local marine rescue people, as well ignored the pleas of elected officials," he said in an interview.

"And the experts on the NOAA side are not from this area, so they're making judgments that don't relate to this area."

NOAA Fisheries Service held a public seminar on bottlenose dolphins at Monmouth University on Jan. 13.

NOAA spokeswoman Teri Frady said last week the organization believes this is a group of animals from a population attempting to extend and expand its range and is a natural occurrence.

"They are free-swimming, not stranded or injured, and in a habitat that is typical for them," she said.

"Whatever its outcome, we believe the best course of action to date is to treat it as nature at work, rather than introducing still more stress in the form of human interventions that are unlikely to work and may cause or hasten mortalities."

In a press release last week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), urged NOAA to intervene.

"Unless NOAA takes immediate action, these dolphins, who may be more intelligent than human beings and certainly are every bit as emotional and family-oriented as we are, will slowly die as winter progresses," PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said in the release.

Mencinsky said the next step to help the dolphins is difficult to determine.

"At this point, because the river is probably going to freeze tonight, (Thursday) in many locations, and with the creation of ice, there's many more complications in terms of any kind of rescue," he said. "It's almost too late in circumstances like [this to do] something easy."

Mencinsky said NOAA was strict about keeping people away from the dolphins when they first appeared to help protect them, but now they won't help move them.

He said he believes the construction of the Route 36 Highlands Bridge is preventing the dolphins from moving.

According to a press release issued by the surfers alliance, it is widely believed that due to the noise and underwater obstructions from the current construction project at the top of the river where it opens to the bay and open ocean, the dolphins are virtually trapped by these apparent barriers.

"Just like the boat traffic during the summer, or the pollution in the water, or the bridge, man is here and we are interacting with nature. And it's our opinion the bridge is a detriment to them leaving," he said. "If we have interfered with the natural course of what they would normally do, I think we need to intervene at this point."

According to the release, on Christmas Day an adult bottlenose dolphin was found dead on a small beach next to the Sandy Hook bridge. Preliminary examination determined this to be a pregnant female from the "Sea Bright" pod.

As of Jan. 14, five or six of the original 15 or so animals were still alive. There has been no evidence that any dolphins have gone under the bridge and made it out to open ocean, the release states.

The release states that local marine experts, local community and public officials, including Congressman Frank Pallone, Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-13th District), Sen. Sean Kean (R-11th District) and Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-12th District), have all made a plea for action.

In a release last month, NOAA reported that observation surveys of the bottlenose dolphins still residing in the Shrewsbury- Navesink rivers during late December and early January confirmed that five live animals

were still present in the Shrewsbury River. None were believed to be in the Navesink.

By examining photographs and written observations from the December surveys, NOAA dolphin researchers documented weight loss or possible weight loss in eight of 12 individual dolphins present at the beginning of the month.

Of the eight exhibiting weight loss or possible weight loss, one was confirmed dead Dec. 25, three were resighted Jan 5 or 6, and four were not.

The animal found dead on Dec. 25 was sent for necropsy, which confirmed it to be an adult female carrying a third-trimester fetus. There were old lesions on the adult's lungs and no stomach contents. Tissues and the entire head of the adult, as well as the fetus, were examined further for signs of illness, injury, abnormalities, or conditions that contributed to the death.

"We also continue to believe that these animals are not candidates for intervention and relocation," NOAA said in the release.

"We are working with members of the Northeast Stranding Network as well as other private marine mammal and wildlife conservation organizations to strengthen emergency stranding response in the area in the event that a stranding occurs."

The NOAA Web site was updated with sighting photographs for December and January, and revised FAQs reflecting the changing conditions of the dolphins are available at www.nefsc.noaa.gov/njdolphins/.