Dolphin strandings alarm experts in Ilocos

ON REHAB A stranded melon-headed dolphin rescued from Anda town, Pangasinan, is temporarily kept for rehabilitation at a facility of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Cariaz Island within the Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City. —PHOTO COURTESY OF BFAR

ALAMINOS CITY—In a span of just five days, 14 dolphins were spotted along the coastline of the Ilocos region, many of them getting stranded in the shallow waters, officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said on Wednesday.

One of the dolphins, a spinner (Stenella longirostris), was found dead in the waters off Vigan City on March 16, while another was taken to a BFAR rehabilitation facility for monitoring, BFAR veterinarian Hasmin Chogsayan said in an interview.

Stranding cases in the Ilocos area have been on the rise in the past five years, Chogsayan said, with 21 recorded in 2023.

“But just this March alone, there were already 14, after the five in February,” she said.

The latest dolphin to be found dead was immediately buried, while those that were stranded either returned to the sea on their own or were helped back to deeper water by authorities, she said.

Rehabilitated

Most of the sighted dolphins were of the melon-headed species (Peponocephala electra), while two were pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata), which are rarely seen in these parts.

Efforts to guide the dolphins back to the sea involved local fishermen, sea patrol (“bantay dagat”) volunteers and government personnel, Chogsayan said.

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The two pygmy killer whales were sighted in Magsingal town, Ilocos Sur, and in San Juan town, La Union, while the melon-headed dolphins were seen in various locations across the region.

Chogsayan said the melon-headed dolphins were either sighted or stranded in the towns of Magsingal and Tagudin in Ilocos Sur, the towns of Bacnotan and Bauang in La Union and the towns of Anda and Sual in Pangasinan. A report from BFAR showed that a dolphin that was stranded off Sual received medical attention at the BFAR facility on Cariaz Island in Hundred Islands National Park.

The BFAR has established a rehabilitation pen on the island where BFAR, Philippine Coast Guard personnel and local government unit staff volunteer to take care of the dolphins around the clock.

Three dolphins were seen lingering near the shore on Wednesday, including one off Poro Point in San Fernando City, La Union, and two off Telbang, Alaminos City. Residents and experts kept their distance from the animals, which eventually retreated to the deeper parts of the sea.

Two others were spotted by fishermen at dawn on Wednesday and were driven back to the waters off the Hundred Islands National Park after three hours of swimming near Telbang beach. Chogsayan said the dolphins could be part of a pod because they were sighted or were stranded almost at the same time.

Rescues not enough

She said while blast fishing was not ruled out as a cause of the stranding, there could be other factors, such as the presence of commercial fishing vessels in the West Philippine Sea, disturbing the marine mammals and forcing them to the shallows.

“For years, there has been a continuous occurrence of marine mammal strandings, and it’s crucial to analyze what’s happening so we can develop management strategies for these animals. Simply rescuing and rehabilitating them may not be sufficient,” Chogsayan said.