Photo: GettyA rising number of ­dolphins are starving to death off the Irish coast. A new study has examined the enigma of emaciated common dolphins washing up on our beaches or being captured in “bycatch” — the practice of releasing unwanted catch — in recent years. The figures showed 13pc of ­common dolphins stranded or bycaught off the Irish coast between 2017 and 2019 died from starvation. This compares to 3pc of common dolphins found off the UK coast who starved to death between 1990 and 2006. They concluded: “Further research on dietary consumption and preferences of the contemporary sample set may uncover the root causes of the observed decline in the nutritional health of these [dolphins].”

Source: Irish Independent October 13, 2024 14:20 UTC