Gulf Coast dolphin death toll rises to nearly 60
By Leigh Coleman and Steve Gorman; Editing by Jerry Norton
Thu Feb 24, 2011 BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) – The death toll of dolphins found washed ashore along the U.S. Gulf Coast since last month climbed to nearly 60 on Thursday, as puzzled scientists clamored to determine what was killing the marine mammals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the alarming cluster of recent dolphin deaths “an unusual mortality event,” agency spokeswoman Blair Mase told Reuters. “Because of this declaration, many resources are expected to be allocated to investigating this phenomenon,” she said. … As of Thursday, the remains of 59 dolphins, roughly half of them newly born or stillborn calves, have been discovered since January 15, on islands, in marshes and on beaches along 200 miles of coastline from Louisiana east across Mississippi to Gulf Shores, Alabama, officials said. That tally is about 12 times the number normally found washed up dead along those states during this time of the year, which is calving season for some 2,000 to 5,000 dolphins in the region. “We are on high alert here,” said Moby Solangi, director of the private Institute of Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Mississippi. “When we see something strange like this happen to a large group of dolphins, which are at the top of the food chain, it tells us the rest of the food chain is affected.” … The latest wave follows an earlier tally of 89 dead dolphins — virtually all of them adults — reported to have washed ashore in 2010 after the Gulf oil spill. Results from an examination of those remains, conducted as part of the government’s oil spill damage assessment, have not been released, though scientists concluded those dolphins “died from something environmental during the last year,” Mase said. “The number of baby dolphins washing ashore now is new and something we are very concerned about,” she added.
