Pod Of Dolphins Spotted In Raritan River In New Brunswick

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — While most of New Jersey was focused on the Rutgers faculty strike, now entering Day 5 on Friday with no deal in sight, something else happened in New Brunswick this week:

A pod of dolphins swam up the Raritan River and were spotted right off the New Brunswick city shoreline Tuesday evening.

The dolphins were first spotted by Charlie Kratovil, the reporter who runs the New Brunswick Today online newspaper. He saw the group of several dolphins swimming Tuesday evening, April 11 near the Albany Street Bridge. He took a video, which you can watch here: https://newbrunswicktoday.com/

The dolphins showed no sign of distress, Kratovil reported. Their status is unknown as of Friday morning.

The Raritan River is mostly freshwater, but it does turn brackish and more salty as it empties out into Raritan Bay.

Dolphins have been spotted in Central New Jersey rivers before: In 2015, a dolphin was seen swimming in the South River in Old Bridge for several days. The dolphin at first appeared to be frolicking and diving through the water — as you can see in these eyewitness videos — and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center was trying to coax it back to sea.

But after several days, the dolphin swam into shallow waters, started having seizures and died: Dolphin In New Jersey River Dies (August 2015) It was struggling to breathe, according to reports at the time.

The Raritan River connects with Raritan Bay very close to New Brunswick, and the South River is a branch off the Raritan.

For years now, dolphins have been spotted in brackish canals in Keyport, Keansburg, Union Beach and all along the Raritan Bayshore.

Dolphin in Keansburg Creek: A two-foot-long Harbor Porpoise was spotted in Waackaack Creek in Keansburg (April 2016)

7th Dolphin Washed Ashore Wednesday In Middletown Area (April 13, 2023)