DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Wildlife officials say at least 16 dead dolphins have washed up on northeast Florida beaches.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal dead dolphins were found on beaches from Volusia County to Jacksonville between Saturday and Monday.
Volusia County Beach Safety and Ocean Rescue spokeswoman Tammy Marris says five dolphins were collected Monday, including two in Volusia County. She says the water was "pretty rough" because of high winds in the area.
In addition, NOAA fisheries spokeswoman Allison Garrett says 11 other dolphins were recovered over the weekend.
Federal officials fear the morbillivirus would make its way to Florida as dolphins migrate south. Garrett says all the dolphins found over the weekend appeared to have symptoms of the virus.
The newspaper reports that a similar outbreak killed 782 dolphins in 1987-88.
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Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com
