More Dead Dolphins Wash Ashore In Florida; 889 Strandings NY-FL Since 1 July 2013
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The Conservation Field Station with the Georgia Aquarium in Flagler County reported collecting four dolphins on Monday.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suspect the dolphins are victims of a measles-like virus known as morbillivirus that began striking dolphins along the East Coast earlier in the summer. Since July 1, 889 dolphins have stranded between Florida and New York.
The virus apparently moved south with the dolphins as they migrated to warmer waters for the winter, federal officials said.
Since early November, 30 dead or dying dolphins have been reported on beaches between the state line and Brevard County, said Allison Garrett, a spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries. That includes seven reported by Volusia County since Nov. 7, including the two Tuesday and two on Monday. The morbillivirus has been confirmed in at least four of the dolphins found in Florida in November, including one found Nov. 7 on Ormond Beach.
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