Dolphins Washing Up On Virginia Beaches At Alarming Rate

WTKR: Virginia Beach, Va. – Dead dolphins washed up on beaches in Virginia at an alarming rate in July.Mark Swingle, Director of Research and Conservation at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center says the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team has responded to 82 bottle-nosed dolphin strandings in 2013, with 44 of those happening in the month of July.Related:Dolphin washes ashore in Ocean ViewDead dolphin washes up on Ocean View beachRight now, researchers are trying to figure out how and why the dolphins are dying, but initial examinations suggest it’s not from typical human interactions like boat propellers or fishing nets.The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is hoping testing of samples of tissue they are collecting from the dolphins may shed light on what’s happening.Swingle says the dolphins that have washed up are of all different sizes and ages. The only similarities seem to be that most are male and most have been found in the Chesapeake Bay.