Dead dolphins found on Black Sea coast

Twenty-five dead dolphins washed up on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on April 21, and officials have said they probably drowned after becoming entangled in fishing nets.

The authorities do not suspect poaching, which was blamed for the deaths of 11 dolphins found dead on the coast of Bulgaria's northern neighbour Romania earlier this month.

"We have never had so many dolphins entangled in fishing nets. They may have been in a group and some of them got trapped," said Atanas Cholakov, head of the State Fishing Agency in the northeast town of Dobrich.

Hunting the animals is forbidden in Bulgaria, as they are on the list of
protected species. Average penalties for killing a single dolphin varies
between £180-£530 but most of the time, the culprits are never found.

A few days earlier, two dolphins were found dead near Kranevo, their bodies cut to pieces.

photo copyright: News 24