Two Dolphins Wash Ashore in Long Beach

Two dolphins found on the south shore of Long Beach Friday morning may have died from a disease that plagued the species in Long Island waters this summer, officials said.

Long Beach Police received a call that two dolphins had washed ashore at the southern end of National Boulevard, Lt. Eric Crageen confirmed. A marine mammal rescue organization was notified Friday to retrieve the dolphins.

The cause of death for the dolphins found Friday will not be confirmed until an autopsy is performed.

Marine researchers noted a rise in dolphin deaths along the east coast this summer and said many mortalities were associated with a Morbiillvirus outbreak. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries said the outbreak caused hundreds of bottlenose dolphin deaths up and down the east coast and had reached as far south as Florida.

"The dolphin mortalities from this summer were found to be associated with this disease event" in Long Beach, according to Kim Durham, a program director at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. The death of a whale that washed ashore in nearby Breezy Point was still under review, she added.

Several dolphins and sharks washed ashore in Long Beach this past summer. One of the dolphins likely had a "chronic infection" as it was found to have a lung infection, was underweight, and had an empty stomach.