Kerala (Kochi) April 20: A carcass of a humpback dolphin was found washed up on the shore of Fort Kochi Beach. While the cause of death is still unknown, the Fishery Environment Management Division Head, Dr Kripa told ANI, “ Lack of food could be a reason. A study is being conducted to find out what factors affect them, their migration pattern.” Humpback dolphins are quite common in the Kochi backwaters, the exact cause of the death is still being looked for, although it could be ship-hit, entanglement in fishing nets, or disease.

Dolphin deaths have been a problem with a lot of dolphins washing ashore on different beaches from the end of 2017. By March 2018, almost 12 dead dolphins were found on the Goan coastline. A spinner dolphin had washed on on the coast at Gummalladibba village in the Nellore district in February. Members of Sea Turtle Protection Force set up by the TREE Foundation, an organisation for conservation and community development, had come across the carcass during their daily early morning patrolling on the coast for sea turtle nesting. This particular dolphin had a lot of injuries on its body, so the cause of death was speculated to be entanglement in fishing nets. The fins and tail of the dolphin were damaged.

Watch video of the dolphin carcass found on Kochi beach:

Dolphins near the coast have been a popular attraction in coastal areas of Maharashtra and Goa. In fact, dolphin sighting tours are also held during the summers. In February two carcasses were found n Mumbai's Juhu beach. The autopsy report revealed the dolphin death was due to natural causes. It was a 5.5-feet Humpback dolphin spotted by the joggers on the beach and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) were then called to examine it. But the carcass findings are a cause of concern among the conservationists. The most common cause of the death is the rising pollution within the ocean. A lot of dolphins come near the coastline during the high tide and the water quality is really poor due to the pollution and waste dumping nearby. It can cause a deadly infection, resulting in damaging the marine life.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2018 01:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).