The affinity between humans and dolphins always produces sadness when one of these creatures appears, washed up, on a beach.
This Monday the body of one of these cetaceans was discovered on
a Nerja beach by several walkers, who called the local Protección Civil, who in turn informed the Centro de Recuperación de Especies Marinas (CREMA) belonging to the Aula del Mar.
Two marine biologists from the centre arrived and confirmed that it was an adult female, of the common variety (Bottlenose or Tursiops truncatus).
Marine biologist, José Luis Mons (one of the founders of Aula del Mar in 1989) explained that the dolphin showed signs of being pregnant but until they could carry out an autopsy they couldn’t confirm the cause of death.
Bottlenose dolphins live between 12 and 15 years but in this case the biologists put her age to be around seven.
Unfortunately, there have been around eight bodies washed up on Málaga beaches during December and so far this month: one in Estepona, four on Málaga city beaches, one in Torremolinos and another in Marbella, to which can be added this one on a Nerja beach.
Causes of death include old age, collisions with boats and having been tangled in fishing nets.
(News: Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)
Not a nice question to ask. But fisherman hate to lose or damage nets.
So sadly the sharks and dolphins do get caught in these vast traps.
Now I’m not saying we should fish for sharks and dolphins. But it does seem a waste just to dump them. As does by catch in the Atlantic. I guess also the only way to avoid these issues is much much smaller nets. But if course much much smaller profits for investors in large fishing fleets.