‘Very thin’ dolphin found dead along North Carolina waterway: What scientists say happened
Bottlenose dolphin washed up on creek bank in Beaufort
BEAUFORT, N.C. (WBTV) - A dolphin was found dead on the banks of a coastal North Carolina waterway last week, and officials seemed to suggest its death could have been prevented.
The bottlenose dolphin was found on the banks of Deep Creek in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve in Beaufort on March 25. A day later, the dolphin was taken to NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) for a necropsy.
Officials said the dolphin was a “very thin” adult male that was 9.3 feet long and weighed 428 pounds.
During the necropsy, a large, knotted up plastic bag was found in the dolphin’s stomach and no food was inside. The bag was said to have likely caused its death.
“Please be aware of how plastic bags can negatively affect our environment,” officials warned. “Use recyclable non-plastic bags instead.”
According to marine environmentalist group Ocean Conservancy, 11 million metric tons of plastics enter the ocean each year. That plastic can not only harm dolphins, but is also known to kill thousands of sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals every year.
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