More dead dolphins were spotted around Hampton Roads this week.
One was found at False Cape State Park in Virginia Beach and another was found near 71st Street. One of the dolphins was badly decomposed officials say. A third dolphin was also found in Ocean View near 1st Street.
The Virginia Aquarium responded to two of the deceased dolphins.
The Aquarium's Stranding Response Team has responded to over 300 deceased dolphins for the year. The average rate of annual recovery over the last decade has been 65.
“We were scared when that dolphin was up there. We didn't know what it was. I looked for cuts on it because I've heard that they can get cut up by boats or something, so I looked for any incisions on it,” says Erika Mercer.
But experts say the hundreds of dead dolphins are not being killed by boats. They believe a virus is to blame.
It is called cetacean morbillivirus. It does not affect humans, but it does make dolphins sick which can cause other dangerous infections.
Experts say as the weather cools down, citizens will not see as many dolphins washing up in the area. They predict the problem will move south.
Related:
Over 300 dead dolphins recovered from Virginia beaches
Dead dolphins starting to wash up in North Carolina
Increases in Navy explosion, sonar activity underwater could hurt millions of dolphins and whales
25 more dead dolphins washed up over the weekend; Total now 164
Virus believed to be behind large number of dolphin deaths on East Coast
