‘Disoriented’ dolphins beach themselves, die, during Newfoundland storm

LEWISPORTE, N.L. – Seven dolphins were found dead Tuesday in a small Newfoundland fishing village, after beaching themselves during rough weather.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the white-sided dolphins died at Boyd’s Cove, 60 kilometres northwest of Gander in central Newfoundland, during the storm that pounded Atlantic Canada.

They did not appear to be sick, DFO said.

“They likely beached after becoming disoriented in storm conditions,” DFO said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon.

Delilah Perry said she spotted one dolphin, which she estimated to be nine feet long, on the beach behind her house at low tide.

“The water was really low and there’s a lot of rocks out there, and the wind brought him in, and he landed just below my lawn,” she said. “I’ve been wracking my brain all day … How am I supposed to remove this big nine-foot fish from the back of my house?”

Perry said four or five men tried to help other dolphins found nearby, without success.

Fisheries officials told Perry it was up to her to dispose of the carcass, she said.

“It’s a sin, it is really. It is a crime that it happened,” she said. “I’d just like to have a bit of help in getting it removed. I can’t get rid of a nine-foot (dolphin) by myself.”

Last Friday, six dolphins were freed near Lameque, N.B., after being trapped in shallow waters for more than a week. A seventh dolphin died.