12th June 2009

Report on mass stranding event investigation released

A report has been released today on the comprehensive investigation into the mass stranding of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) that took place in the Fal Estuary in Cornwall on 9th June 2008. The investigation was co-ordinated by the collaborative UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) which is currently managed by the Institute of Zoology, ZSL. The report into the Defra funded investigation can be found here.

CSIP project manager Rob Deaville said: ‘This has been one of the most intensively studied mass stranding events that has ever taken place. As a result of the investigation, we’ve been able to rule out a wide number of potential causal factors, but cannot rule out the naval exercises either indirectly or directly impacting on the large group of dolphins seen unusually close to shore in the days immediately preceding the mass stranding.’

Other organisations that contributed to the report included British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Southwest Fisheries Science Centre, Universidad de las Gran Palmas Gran Canaria, Veterinary Laboratory Agency (Truro) and Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre in Cornwall.