100 dolphins beached off Romblon

MANILA, Philippines - A month after 300 melon-headed whales were stranded and rescued in Pilar, Bataan, some 100 dolphins, this time, were seen beaching themselves in shallow waters off Romblon province last March 3.

The dolphins were immediately rescued and guided to deeper waters by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) members and local fishermen. There were no reports of injured or dead dolphins.

PCG on scene commander Captain Lino Paiton informed PCG commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo that some 100 marine mammals, initially reported to be dolphins, were found near the shore of Barangay Batiano, Odiongan Municipality in Romblon.

“Local fishermen spotted the dolphins floating on shallow waters at around 4 p.m. of March 3. With the help of the PCG and the local government in the area, we were able to shoo them back to the deep waters,” said Paiton.

Without touching the marine mammals, the rescue team and fishermen employed different methods to drive them back to the sea. This includes making their presence felt or disturbing the dolphins.

It took them an hour or until 5 p.m. to drive away the dolphins to sea.

Paiton admitted that this was an “abnormal” occurrence since the dolphins do not swim in shallow waters. He said they have yet to determine the cause of the incident but they no longer coordinated with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) because the dolphins have already left.

Paiton also ordered his men in the area to conduct regular monitoring and patrolling to make sure that dolphins would not again swim close to the shore.

Since last month’s incident in Bataan, Tamayo ordered all the PCG district and station units and all shipping vessels to be on alert and check if there are other marine life that would require assistance.

“We have ordered our field units and traveling ships to be on the lookout for these dolphins and other endangered marine species that need help. The public should also immediately coordinate with the PCG, who in turn would alert the (BFAR) experts,” Tamayo had said.