Why are dolphins washing ashore?

Before dawn on Tuesday, 25 Fraser’s dolphins, many of them wounded, were found stranded on the beach of Del Gallego, Camarines Sur. When morning came, over 13 of the dolphins were found dead.

According to Nonie Enolva, team leader at the Bicol Regional Fisheries Emergency Stranding Response Team of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), external examination showed signs that the dolphins suffered from dynamites.

“Dynamite fishing has been banned since I was young,” Daniel Ocampo, special campaign manager at Oceana Philippines, an organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, told GMA News Online on Wednesday. “I’m 51 now. Mayroon pa rin.”

Aside from dynamite fishing, science specialist Diovs de Jesus said there were other reasons why dolphins find themselves stranded ashore, many of them due to human activity.

“So usually they get stranded either they are already sick, injured, or disoriented,” De Jesus said.

One of the reasons why dolphins find themselves disoriented is because of disturbances at sea.

“Pwede, for example, pwede can be an effect of pollution. There may be chemical spill for example. Underwater these marine animals are sensitive to noise so for example military exercises matataas na noise, they can be affected,” he said.

“They can be victims of fishing, for example. They might be caught as bycatch then later thrown out into the sea, or pwedeng ’yung case may noise, blast, naapekto rin. Pwede din nabangga ng vessels, ng ships, ng booth. Isa ring cause may sakit sila, pupunta sila sa shore,” he added.

Action-driven solutions

If you find dolphins stranded on the beach, Oceana Philippines vice president Golly Ramos said it’s best to contact the BFAR. Apart from that, however, local governments must be capable of addressing such concerns.

“Kailangan ma-capacitate ang barangay, local government. They know how to respond. May centers talaga na madadala ’yung mga dolphins for emergency treatment … ’pag hindi marunong mga tao how to respond to stranding, baka mamatay talaga ’yung dolphins,” she said.

More than that, she said that there must be protocols in place to protect marine life. Dolphins’ migratory pathways should be protected, she said, and vessels must know the areas where they need to slow down or they must avoid to minimize harm.

Ocampo said it’s also important to look at the entire picture of how humans affected the environment, especially how our use of plastic caused harm to sea animals.

“All of this adds up to harming our marine biodiversity ... it’s really important na tignan ’yung kabuuan how humans impact on our environment,” he said.

Dolphins, said Ramos, were sentient beings that had feelings.

“We have stories about dolphins na tumutulong sa survivors ng shipwreck. Maybe they know us more than we know them,” Ramos said. “We really have to take care of our water, of our habitat. Hindi lang tayo naka-depend dito. Pati ang ating marine animals.”

She added: “We make it as part of our lifestyle. Iisipin talaga natin ang ating karagatan. The fact is we cannot survive without a healthy ocean.” – RC, GMA News