nearly 30 cetaceans found dead on the beaches this Monday

Twenty-eight marine mammals, mainly dolphins, were found dead on Monday March 13 on the beaches of the Landes, learned France Bleu Gascogne. A porpoise was also discovered on the shores of Lake Hossegor.

On Saturday March 11 and Sunday March 12, 23 dolphin corpses had already been discovered on the same coast, bringing to 51 the number of marine mammals found dead on the beaches of the department in three days. Discoveries of small cetacean corpses are not uncommon, but their number in such a short period of time is unusual. The strong westerly wind may have brought the dead animals back to the coast.

51 bodies found in three days

According to Pelagis, the marine wildlife observatory which counts strandings in France, the dolphins found this weekend had broken ribs and cut fins. But the corpses were too damaged to draw definitive conclusions about their death. “These are healthy specimens”explained Pascal Ducasse, volunteer correspondent for Pelagis, to France Bleu Gascogne. “From experience, the sick animals are very thin. There, these are dolphins who had a full stomach, who had therefore just eaten and who were in good health”he says.

It is therefore sea fishing that is singled out by NGOs. The dolphins could have been victims of violent death, after being accidentally captured by fishing trawlers. Sea Shepherd has already lodged a complaint several times and accuses the large trawlers of being responsible for the deaths of several hundred dolphins each year. NGOs and scientists are calling for a temporary suspension of fishing. For the moment, the government favors technical solutions, such as on-board cameras or repellents on boats.