November 19, 2013 — NOAA Fisheries is unveiling two new smartphone apps, Dolphin & Whale 911 and See & ID Dolphins &Whales, as a way to assist citizens reporting sick, injured or dead marine mammals and identify and view marine mammals responsibly in the wild.
The Dolphin & Whale 911 app enables users to report stranded dolphins, whales, and seals in the Southeastern United States (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Reports of live or dead stranded, injured or entangled marine mammals will immediately go to trained and authorized emergency responders from the Southeast U.S. Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The public may also send GPS stamped photos of the animal to the Stranding Network in real time.
"The Dolphin & Whale 911 app will revolutionize the way we find out about and respond to stranded marine mammals throughout the Southeast," said Laura Engleby, Southeast Marine Mammal Branch Chief for NOAA Fisheries. " This technology will make it easier for people to know who to call and what to do if they find a stranded marine mammal.