San Jose Mercury News - Rescuers hope bubble from fire boats will help move the whales

San Jose Mercury News - Rescuers hope bubble from fire boats will help move the whales:

"RIO VISTA - With time growing short, rescuers will use fire hoses today in an unprecedented attempt to dislodge two humpback whales from the Delta.

At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, Vallejo's fire department is expected to bring one of its two boats to the U.S. Coast Guard station at Rio Vista this morning where fire fighters will use hoses to get the mother and calf moving south.

The boat is equipped with a deck gun capable of spraying up to 1,000 gallons of water per minute, as well as four hose lines that each can deliver water at about half that rate.

Whether the bubbles and changes in water pressure will attract or repel the whales remains to be seen, said Frances Gulland, director of veterinary sciences with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.

"They very much do what they want to do," she said at a press conference Thursday afternoon, acknowledging the very real possibility that the pair could head right back up the Sacramento River to the port where they swam in circles for about five days.

Since Sunday, they have been swimming back and forth between Ryer Island and Rio Vista Bridge.

The approximately 45-foot female and baby have been stranded in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta since at least May 13, when they first were spotted near the U.S. Coast Guard's station in Rio Vista.

Along with the fire boat there will be a vessel from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and one with her and the other scientists, Gulland said.

Marine mammal experts are planning to try to treat both injured whales with antibiotics in the next few days - something else that Gulland said hasn't ever been done to whales in the wild.

The mammals have gashes that appear to have come from a boat, and the tissue along the edge of those wounds has started to die, she said.

The plan is to inject the medication using either a syringe attached to the end of a pole or a dart depending on the volume of drugs needed, Gulland said.

Although they don't know yet exactly what drug they will use, she said the team wants something that will combat a broad spectrum of bacteria, won't cause side effects, and will last for least 24 hours to minimize the number of times they have to inject the whales.

Gulland added that the humpbacks also might have to be sedated if they beach themselves, which would require rescuers to come within reach of the creatures' powerful tails as they try getting them back in the water.

Asked why officials don't simply leave the whales alone and let nature take its course, Gulland said that wasn't an option given that one aspect of their predicament - their injuries - were caused by humans.

"We have some obligation to compensate for what we've done," she said.

Although plans concerning tactics and the number of rescue boats on the water have been changing from day to day, as of Thursday afternoon the intent was to continue operations through the Memorial Day weekend, Gulland said.