Injured dolphins land on Lingayen Gulf shores

DAGUPAN CITY—At least 17 injured bottlenose dolphins have been found beached in the last two days in the coastal areas of the Lingayen Gulf stretching from Alaminos City in Pangasinan province to Aringay town in La Union province.

Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) here, said three of the dolphins had died, with two of them found dead early Tuesday morning.

Rosario said the dead dolphins were found in Tondaligan Beach here, at the public beach in Binmaley town and on the shores of Aringay.

Two of the dolphins were declared missing, after these were taken by fishermen from the towns of Agoo in La Union and Lingayen in Pangasinan.

Rosario said this was the first time that a mass beaching of dolphins was reported since 2000, when 11 spinner dolphins beached in Barangay Bonuan Gueset here.

The first group of dolphins was found on Monday afternoon by fishermen on the shores of Barangay Alaska in Aringay. One of them eventually died, while another was taken by a fisherman. The rest were released back into the sea.

At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, another dolphin beached on the shoreline at the back of the NIFTDC. Two more dolphins were found on the shores of the island village of Pugaro here at 8 p.m. on the same day.

On Tuesday, four dolphins were found beached on the shore. One of the dolphins was reportedly taken by a fisherman while the other was taken to the NIFTDC.

Rosario said all of the dolphins were injured, many of them had bleeding wounds.

The dolphins came to the Lingayen Gulf because they usually seek flowing water whenever they are ill, he said.

He said the West Philippine Sea was a migration path and dolphins usually dropped by the Lingayen Gulf to look for food. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon