Dead baby dolphins continue to wash ashore on Gulf beaches

Dozens of dead baby and adult dolphins have washed ashore on Gulf beaches since the beginning of the year, according to new reports. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the rising death count is exceptionally high, especially because the normal birthing season for dolphins -- a time at which some baby dolphins inevitably end up dying -- is normally several months from now.

"We're definitely keeping a close eye on this situation," said Blair Mase, NOAA's marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Southeast region, to theSun Herald. "We're comparing this to previous years, trying to find out what's going on here."

Since the beginning of 2011, there have been 28 reported incidents of dead dolphins washing ashore. Eighteen of these deaths occurred in infant dolphins, and none of the dead adults were pregnant females. The most recent of the deaths occurred at Horn Island, one of a chain of small islands that compose the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park near Pensacola, Fla.

"With the oil spill, it is difficult (to determine the cause of death)," said Mase to reporters. "It could be infectious related. Or it could be non-infection. We've run the gamut of causes." The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) is currently conducting necropsies to determine the cause ofdeathin the dolphins.

NOAA's recently-released Coastal Georgia Dolphin Health Assessment, a yearly report on the health of dolphins, found that levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in dolphins off the Georgia coast are the highest they have ever been in reported marine wildlife history, with a maximum concentration of 2,900 parts per million (ppm).

It is unclear whether or not the oil plumes from the BP disaster, or the Corexit chemicals used to disperse them, are at all implicated in the high PCB levels of Georgia dolphins or the recent Gulf dolphin deaths.

Source: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer Natural News

Save senseless massacre of Dolphins

I regard cruelty to animals and human beings a psychotic trait. Baseless cruelty and needless slaughter of one of the world's most noble, gentle and intelligent mammals, THE DOLPHIN - that has throughout the millennia demonstrated its love for humankind is monstrous. TAIJI , YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE IN INFAMY IF THIS MASSACRES CONTINUE.

Posted By: Fonda Berosini To: Members in "The Cove" - Save Japan Dolphins New video exposes Taiji lies When we released "The Cove" in Japan last Summer, I knew it wouldn't be easy. Of course, I also had no way of knowing just how vigorously our opponents would fight the truth. A small, but very vocal group engaged in a massive campaign of misinformation and intimidation against us. They tried to paint us as anti-Japanese, when nothing could be further from the truth. They showed up at the homes of our supporters. Their places of business. Even their elderly parents' homes. With megaphones blaring, they spewed messages of hate and divisiveness. They almost succeed in getting the film pulled from theaters. When that failed, they did everything in their power to discredit the film. One of the arguments they made, which was picked up by some Japanese media, is that fisherman had changed the technique that they use to kill the dolphins. That what they do now happens "instantly" and is more humane. We knew it was a lie, but we couldn't prove it. Until now. Volunteers have been on the ground since Sept. 1 monitoring the fisherman, documenting as much as possible. While the footage has been devastating, what was missing was the actual kill, which happens behind a cold blue tarp. But our supporters are patient, and the other day Save Japan Dolphins volunteer Leah Lemieux was there when the tarp fell. What she caught on tape was devastating. The fisherman does appear to stab the dolphin behind its blowhole. But the dolphin's death is far from quick, and couldn't under any circumstances be considered humane. You'll see how many of the dolphins desperately throw themselves on the rocky coastline in effort to escape, or perhaps hasten their own inevitable death. According to a spokesperson with the Japanese Fisheries Agency, this method "kills the dolphins instantly." In fact, the video footage shows dolphins thrashing in agony for long minutes, amid their own blood and the screams of other dolphins being killed. Judge for yourself. See the video below, but be warned it's worse than what was shown in "The Cove". We're translating this and releasing it in Japan. It's essential that the Japanese people get a complete and accurate picture of what's happening. To that end, we will need to be tireless in our efforts to get the truth out. Thank you, Ric O'Barry Campaign Director SaveJapanDolphins/The Dolphin Project

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