Unfortunately not all the dolphins we see here are alive and this one has probably been dead a long, long time! Its currently floating around in Fishguard Harbour but may have travelled hundreds of miles just carried by currents in the several weeks, perhaps months it has been dead. The weater is cold enough as to have kept it quite fresh if it had died recently. We have informed Rod Penroser Welsh Marine Strandings Coordinator . We will try and get it out tommorrow but its probably too far gone/decayed to establish cause of death. On the other hand the tip of lower jaw seems to be broken off so it could indicate being caught in a trawl net.
It is estimated by the UK government that as many as 7,000 dolphins die in pair trawlers nets each year in the winter bass fishery in the SW approaches off the Cornish Coast. This has been going on for over 20 years so possibly as many as 140,000 dolphins killed in that time... If it was tigers or elephants or panda's or any other iconic land mammal the slaughter would probably be stopped but if it happens out of sight at sea then it seems its just part of the price of fish!
