MASS MAMMAL DIE-OFF: Number Of Dead Dolphins Washed Up In Virginia Hits 100 - Some Dolphins Are So Severely Decomposed, Marine Biologists Are Unable To Understand What Is Causing The Die-Off?!

August 08, 2013 - UNITED STATES - The number of dead dolphins that have washed ashore this year in Virginia reached 100 over the weekend.

From right, Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team members Krystle Rodrique of Virginia Beach, Va.
and intern Liz Schell of Durango, Co. carry a deceased male dolphin on a metal stretcher from Ocean View
Beach in Norfolk, Va. on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. This was their third dolphin retrieval of the day.
(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

Since Thursday, 13 dolphin corpses have been recovered in the state, bringing the total for 2013 well above the typical 64 found annually by the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team.

Some of the dolphins have been severely decomposed, making it difficult for marine biologists to understand what is causing the die-off.

"We get calls from people who see them floating, but we don't have the equipment to track them down," said Joan Barns, spokeswoman for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. "Unfortunately, there are probably more dead dolphins out there, but they just haven't landed yet."

According to marine biologists, dolphin strandings peak in May and June. But this year, 44 dolphins were found dead on Virginia beaches in July, most in the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. On average, only six or seven dead dolphins are picked up by the team in July.

(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

(Dorothy Edwards | The Virginian-Pilot)

The team alerted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the elevated numbers after seeing the monthly spike, as did the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J., after picking up at least 21 dead or dying dolphins in New Jersey in July. The death toll of dolphins in New Jersey also rose over the weekend, reaching 25 on Friday afternoon, according to reports from The Press of Atlantic City.

Delaware and Maryland have also seen a recent uptick in dolphin deaths this year. According to The Press, 10 dead dolphins were picked up in Delaware between June and early July, when typically only five or six are recorded. In Maryland - although a spike has been noticed - the number of dead dolphins was unknown, the paper reported. - Pilot Online.