Wayward dolphins in N.J. river attract audience

Federal officials maintain a 50-yard buffer around the mammals

Video

Dolphins astray along New Jersey shore
June 28: Authorities in New Jersey are monitoring a group of bottlenose dolphins wandering in the narrow waterways along the New Jersey coast. NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports.

Nightly News

Video: Environment

More video

The greening of China
Dec. 8: One reason for hope at Copenhagen is that China has started to move on curbing emissions in a big way. The world's biggest polluter has set a 15 percent renewable energy target and by 2010 will eliminate more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As ITV's John Ray reports from China, it is good news for the environment, but has an unexpected impact on some.

Sinking below sea level in Bangladesh

Talking about weather, deciding life and death

EPA: Greenhouse gas 'threat is real'

Are Russian spies connected to ‘Climategate?’

Environment slide shows

AFP - Getty Images

Climate by the numbers
View some of the hundreds of protests around the world on Oct. 24 to demand lower CO2 emissions.

China stocks up on trash

Tension on the tundra

Solar city on National Mall

Climate conditions

China’s ‘cancer villages’

Harnessing the wind

Running dry in much of India

Calif. farm areas drying up

Lights out for Earth Hour

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 7:35 p.m. ET June 28, 2008

SEA BRIGHT, N.J. - Authorities in New Jersey are monitoring a group of wayward bottlenose dolphins isolated in the Shrewsbury River near the town of Sea Bright.

A federal official said Saturday that state police and Coast Guard boats were enforcing a 50-yard buffer around the dolphins.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman Teri Frady said plans were being made to drive the dolphins out of the river and back out to sea. But she said that could be a risky operation.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

In the meantime, biologists say the dolphins seem to be in good health as they feed on fish in the river.

Officials are worried about the many boats that have been crowding the river as people gather to watch the aquatic mammals.