Dead Bottlenose Dolphin Entangled in Discarded Fishing Nets Found at Jeju Hallim Port

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] The carcass of a bottlenose dolphin entangled in abandoned fishing nets was found at the breakwater of Hallim Port in Jeju City.

According to the Jeju Coast Guard on the 8th, a report was received on the previous day at 4:25 PM that a dolphin was found dead floating near the breakwater of Hallim Port in Hallim-eup, Jeju City.

The coastal rescue boat of the Hallim Police Substation of the Jeju Coast Guard was dispatched and arrived at the scene at around 4:39 PM. Upon inspection, they discovered one dolphin carcass entangled in abandoned fishing nets about 900 meters north of the Hallim Port breakwater.

Due to high swell, it was difficult to retrieve the dolphin carcass, so the dolphin was secured to the right side of the coastal rescue boat of the Hallim Police Substation, and the boat entered Hallim Port at around 4:57 PM.

After being brought ashore, the dolphin specimen was examined and, upon inquiry with the National Institute of Fisheries Science Whale Research Center, it was identified as a female bottlenose dolphin approximately 156 cm in length and 82 cm in girth, estimated to have been deceased for over 30 days.

No signs of illegal capture were found, and at around 5:15 PM, the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency collected samples for research purposes. The carcass was handed over to the local government at around 9 AM the following day for disposal.

Meanwhile, this year, the Jeju Coast Guard has found a total of 34 cetaceans, with this being the second bottlenose dolphin.

A Jeju Coast Guard official stated, “We ask that when marine mammals designated as marine protected species in Korea, including cetaceans, are caught incidentally during fishing, drift, or stranded, please report immediately to the Coast Guard for prompt rescue and proper handling.”

Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil panax33@asiae.co.kr