Another beached wounded dolphin found in Laoag City

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Laoag City—Another wounded pan-tropical spotted dolphin (Stennela attenuate) was beached in the coastal barangay of Navotas-B here in Laoag City on the evening of Sept. 23, said Arthur Valente, fishery regulatory officer of the Provincial Agriculture Office.

According to Mr. Valente, residents saw the young adult male dolphin with at least two old wounds—measuring 2x3 centimeters at the left ventral side beside the umbilicus and a 4 centimeter slit above the genital area. The beached dolphin looks skinny and it measures 197 centimeters and weighs approximately 85 kilograms.

Based on initial report, he said the dolphin may have been washed ashore by strong waves due to the recent typhoon.   

Due to telecommunication problem, local officials were only able to contact Mr. Valente at about 6:00 p.m. When rescuers reached the area, the dolphin was already dead. A necropsy analysis has been scheduled September 24 to determine the primary cause of death.

Over the past four years, the coastline of Ilocos Norte has become a burial ground of marine mammals, with 18 dead dolphins and whales found on the shores by local residents all year round, mostly on the months of July and August.

For the period of 2010 to 2014, the Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network-Ilocos Norte chapter has recorded a total of 32 stranding events, where a majority or 55 percent of the stranding cases were dead. There were some or 14 out of the 32 stranding events that were successfully released through the collaborative effort of the local government units, fishermen organizations, law enforcers and the active participation of the tri-media (print, radio and TV) in instilling public awareness about the plight of these sentinels of the sea.

Record shows that there is a high rate of stranding events in Ilocos Norte, making the province as one of the hot spots of marine mammal stranding in the country. “This is quite alarming,” said Valente as he underscored “marine animals get stranded when they try to flee bad weather, dynamite fishing or get lost in their search for food.”

Among the species found on the province’s coastline were pilot whale, spinner dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, beak whale, Fraser dolphin, dwarf and giant sperm whale, humpback whale, pygmy killer whale, Pan tropical spotted dolphin, Risso’s dolphin and rough-toothed dolphin among others.

Results of previous necropsy analysis and laboratory examinations conducted show marine animals get stranded when they flee fishermen hunting them or get sick as a result of polluted environments. In a previous conduct of necropsy analysis here, a non-biodegradable fruit wrapper was found in the dolphin’s stomach.

According to Mr. Valente, the increase of reported incidents in the past four years in Ilocos Norte may have been attributed to improved information and education drive and an increased public awareness on the special role of marine mammals as sentinels of the sea.

“The lack of funding for the establishment of a rehabilitation facility and a limited number of first responders as volunteers however still remains a challenge in Ilocos Norte,” Mr. Valente said.