August 8, 2013 — Bottlenose dolphins have been dying off this summer at a rate rapid enough that marine life experts have taken steps to delve deeper to find the cause.
Since early July, 124 dolphins have been reported as dead or dying along shores from New York to Virginia. New Jersey’s beaches have seen xx strandings, the second highest number behind only Virginia with xx strandings.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries officials Thursday dubbed the deaths an Unusual Mortality Event, which the Marine Mammal Protection Act defines as unexpected, involving significant die-off of any marine mammal population, and demands immediate response.
The classification opens the group to more funding and other resources it needs to determine what’s causing these dolphins to die, Teri Rowles, National Marine Mammal Stranding coordinator, said in a teleconference.
Since the program launched in 1991, there have been 60 formally recognized Unusual Mortality Events, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Bottlenose dolphins, along with California sea lions and manatees, rank among the most common species involved in these events.
Read the full story at The Daily Record