CLICKS - The Dolphin Prophecy

CHAPTER 9

It was late that night by the time we all met on the beach. French fries for dinner had become a frequent, if unhealthy, habit. But I couldn’t stomach the hotdogs that everyone else had grabbed. Any meat besides fish turned my stomach, lately. I plucked another French fry from the paper carton, wondering if the fuel of elite athletes could ever consist of protein shakes, fried potatoes, and gummie candy. I just hoped for a chance to find out.

Celeste had run the dolphin rescue truck to three different locations up and down the coast, all day. Hundreds of dolphins had beached, dying by the dozens, and no one had any idea why. I could feel her weariness in my bones, but felt grateful she hung out to talk. In spite of her exhaustion, Celeste had patience for our questions, perhaps because she felt frustrated, too.

“They certainly could swim up on the sand and get stuck there if their directional instincts are messed up. It’s definitely one current theory to explain the beachings. It’s also possible that most of them die in the ocean, and only half find their way out to shore. We just don’t see the other half, so we don’t have as much data,” explained Celeste. I could literally see her wracking her brain for the answers.

“I’m sorry,” I said, passing her an open bag of candy. She took a few and smiled gratefully.

“Could sonar do that to humans?” Blake asked.

“It usually doesn’t,” Celeste continued. “But it does affect dolphins to some extent, even though I’m not sure it’s to blame for any of the recent breachings or deaths.”

“I remember reading that,” Blake said, nodding. ”Dolphins can use their echolocation to see through things; like an x-ray. Don’t they call it bio-sonar?”

“Yes,” Celeste said, shaking her curls from her eyes.

“So you agree that sonar could be harmful to dolphins?” I asked.

“It does interfere with the way dolphins process information about the world,” Celeste admitted.

“How?” Blake asked.

“We’re still not sure exactly. One popular supposition is that the sonar crowds the signals that they use to maneuver through the water and stay safe. With the extra noise, they can’t accurately interpret their surroundings or warnings from their pod.”

“What’s the other one?” I asked. Celeste gave me a blank look. “You said one supposition.” “I assume that means there’s at least one more?”

 “Well, yes, some scientists believe that the sonar blasts can have a damaging effect on the dolphin’s equivalent of an ear drum, mess up their depth perception, and can cause them to stay underwater for so long that they essentially drown themselves.”

“But, you don’t think there’s any way that that is what’s happening here?”

“Billy looked, extensively, for information on ear damage when you guys first brought this up, but he found nothing. It was a good idea, guys, really, but it just doesn’t translate to humans. We don’t have bio-sonar; so the man-made sonar doesn’t affect us in the same way.”

“How can something be so damaging to the dolphins that's already part of their nature?” Blake asked.

“It’s like the oil spill,” I broke in.

Blake’s curiosity turned me on, his questions exposing the intelligence that he often kept in the background. He did well in school, but showing it off wasn’t his thing. Kaleb had been the more intellectual one. But, like many siblings, especially twins, Blake had chosen other areas to excel in and different ways to get attention. His questions and ideas through this whole process had been incredibly insightful, especially today.