2 more dolphins found dead in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines—Two bottlenose dolphins were found dead at the Tondaligan Beach here and on the shores of neighboring Binmaley town in Pangasinan province, in what has turned out to be a series of beaching in Lingayen Gulf since Monday.

Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) here, said one more dolphin was found dying at about 6 a.m. at the Lingayen beach in Lingayen town.

At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Rosario said another dolphin beached just at the shoreline at the back of the NIFTDC.

Two more dolphins were found on the shores of the island village of Pugaro here at about 8 p.m. on the same day.

Rosario said Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez informed him on Tuesday that four dolphins have beached in Pugaro.

He said the dolphins had fresh wounds.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday, a dead dolphin was buried at the NIFTDC fish cemetery after Manuel Ugaban Jr., agriculturist of Aringay town in La Union province, brought it to the center.

That dolphin was one of six dolphins that beached on the shores of Barangay Alaska in Aringay at 2 p.m. on Monday.

Rosario said four of the dolphins were released back to the sea. But the other one was reportedly taken by a fisherman from Agoo for food.

Rosario said that he had sent a team to collect the dead dolphins here and in Binmaley so these could be buried at the fish cemetery.

According to Rosario, the West Philippine Sea is a migration path and dolphins usually drop by the Lingayen Gulf to look for food.

Last month, two pods of dolphins were seen at Sual and Pangascasan bays in Sual town. The pods left the area after three days.

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