1. On March 25th, we received a communication from an ORCA sentinel volunteer located on site indicating the presence of hundreds of stranded dolphins. ORCA and Bluevoice decided to execute this survey of 135 Km from San Jose in Lambayeque state to the southern border of Illescas National Park, in Piura state, to collect visual and sample evidence. Our survey was in coordination with the Police of the Environment Protection (Ecological Police).
2. As previously reported, two species have been affected: Long beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) and Burmeister’s porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis). We counted 615 common dolphins. All age classes were affected: Adult males, females, lactating females, juveniles, calves and newborns. We counted 19 porpoises, only females and calves
.
3. There are carcasses in different degrees of decomposition and every 10 to 30 meters, none of them older than 5 weeks. This matches with the fact that these strandings happened right after our previous survey. We found animals recently dead (no more than 12 hours) and several carcasses of juveniles and calves showed “rigor mortis...
...Under the current circumstances and after a long assessment of our Stranding Network, all the dolphins and porpoises stranded respond to one sole UME that started in middle January, and continues today. With all available count in an area of 350 Km of coastline with reported strandings
from northern Piura to northern Lambayeque, we estimate around 3,000 dead dolphins so far.
This is the largest mass stranding ever recorded in the coast of Peru and with no precedent in the South American region. Situation has is overwhelming. Even children have been involved in collecting dolphin meat at the southern end of the stranding site (Lambayeque), and have been trying to rescue agonic dolphins at the northern range (Piura). http://www.bluevoice.org/news_perudolphins.php
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