Police probe mysterious deaths of 48 dolphins

Romanian authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of 48 dolphins that washed up on the shores of the Black Sea, police said today.

The dolphins, which are a protected species, were found earlier in the week on beaches stretching about 22 miles south of the port town of Sulina, said Romel Todireanu, a local police officer.

The area is located near the mouth of the Danube River, which flows into the Black Sea.

Todireanu said the cause of death was unclear but added that they did not have marks or cuts from fishing nets like other dolphins that died recently in the area.

Dozens of dolphins die monthly after they get caught in fishing nets, said Simion Nicolaev, who heads the National Institute for Marine Research.

In May, 10 dolphins died on beaches 20 miles south of Sulina. Environmentalists blamed the military for their deaths because the bodies surfaced shortly after live ammunition army exercises in the area.

The military denied killing the dolphins but suspended the exercises.

There are only 2,000 dolphins in the Black Sea, down from 1 million in the 1940s, according to international environmental statistics.

Last year, several Turkish fishermen were convicted and fined after authorities found two dozen dolphins tangled in their nets.