§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the numbers, species and location of cetaceans found washed ashore and reported to his Department since 1 January; together with details of cause of death from any post-mortem or examination his Department has carried out.
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 25 January 1993]: The natural history museum has advised that it received reports of five common dolphins and one dolphin of species unknown found dead on the south coast of England since 1 January 1993. It also received reports of a harbour porpoise and a whale, possibly a minke whale, found dead in Wales. The species and locations are as follows:
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Species Location Date found Common dolphin Mullion, Cornwall 5 January Common dolphin Mullion, Cornwall 8 January Harbour porpoise Llanclli, Dyfed 9 January Common dolphin Portwrinkle, Cornwall 11 January Common dolphin Portwrinkle, Cornwall Precise date not known
Species Location Date found Whale (possibly minke) Tal-y-Bont, Gwynedd 12 January Dolphin (species unknown) Porthleven, Cornwall 14 January Common dolphin Bournemouth, Dorset 17 January Postmortem examination of three of the common dolphins has been carried out by veterinary pathologists at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries investigation centre at Truro and at the Institute of Zoology, London. Further laboratory examination will be necessary to see whether the cause of death can be established.