§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many dolphins have been found dead in the area around Portreath and Newquay in the past 12 months; and what were the causes of death.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory[holding answer 17 October 1990]: The British Museum (Natural History) holds a comprehensive record of confirmed reports of strand ings of cetaceans around the British Coast. Its records for the past 12 months show that 28 cetaceans were found dead around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. Of these, three were found between St. Ives and Newquay. Comparison with past records shows nothing unusual in these numbers.
Since July, a systematic study of the stranding:; of cetaceans has been funded by this Department with post-mortems and the taking of samples for contaminant analysis being co-ordinated by a veterinary surgeon based at London Zoo. A post mortem carried out on the only cetacean found in the Portreath/Newquay area since the co-ordinator's appointment has shown no obvious cause of death.