NOAA: Virus likely causing dolphin deaths

[kristopher]

Source: AP via Seattle Times

By BROCK VERGAKIS

NORFOLK, Va. —
Federal officials say a virus is likely what's causing hundreds of dead bottlenose dolphins to wash ashore along the East Coast.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 333 dolphins have been stranded between New York and North Carolina since July 1. That's more than nine times the historical average for the region during July and August.

Earlier this month, NOAA declared an unusual mortality event to provide additional resources to study what's causing the deaths.

NOAA says the tentative cause of the deaths is the cetacean morbillivirus. Dolphins with morbillivirus typically experience skin lesions, brain infections and pneumonia. The virus killed off more than 700 dolphins in the 1980s. Using that die-off as a guide, officials say the deaths could spread southward and last through spring 2014.

Read more: http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2021694023_apusdolphindeaths.html

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Three more washed up on S. Jersey beaches this past weekend.

[Hubert Flottz]

1. A sad thing.

[rwsanders]

2. Once again, a "virus" or "parasite" without doing the follow up tests to prove that they would never

have fallen victim to them if their immune systems weren't compromised because of pollution.
Pierre Beland a Canadian researcher who has spent years studying the belugas in the St. Lawrence Seaway has criticized NOAA for this in the past, but nothing changes.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Thank you! My thought exactly. I'm tired of hearing this bullshit...

...time and again, about bees, about frogs, about all kinds of critters who SHOULDN'T BE DYING OFF IN LARGE NUMBERS from "viruses" that they have been immune to for tens of thousands of years!

WE are the cause of these die-off's! And thank you so much for apprizing me of this "voice in the wilderness"--Pierre Beland--who has dared to call the NOAA on its damned, corporate-protecting, 1%-er-protecting, clever, clever, CLEVER lies.

[wordpix]

4. +1000, it's never pollution and human overpopulation causing these deaths

through immune system compromise, it's always something more mysterious like a virus that common folk can't understand.