CALASIAO, Pangasinan: A stranded sub-adult Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, has died, authorities reported Monday (March 9) morning.
The marine mammal was rescued on March 6 off the coast of Barangay Masintoc, Paoay, after observers noted “unstable buoyancy and difficulty breathing.”
Local authorities closely monitored and cared for it, even calling for volunteers to assist in its rehabilitation. Despite these efforts, the dolphin did not survive and died on Saturday.
The carcass is now undergoing a necropsy at the Mariano Marcos State University laboratory to determine the cause of death.
This incident marks the third marine mammal stranding in Region I this year. The first occurred on Jan 7 in Alaminos City, where a dolphin died en route to a marine mammal rehabilitation facility in the Hundred Islands National Park.
Dr Reynaldo Abarra, a veterinarian in Alaminos City, suggested that the dolphins may have lost their hearing, or echolocation—their primary sense for navigation, foraging, and communication. Loss of echolocation can lead to severe consequences, including stranding and difficulty feeding.
Another dolphin was found dead on Feb 27 in Butol, Santiago, Ilocos Sur.
The Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network previously said in interviews that hearing loss in marine mammals is often caused by blast fishing, a practice studies have shown to be prevalent along the Ilocos Region coastline. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
