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Fukui Officials Confirm Biting Dolphin’s Death, Keep Safety Measures in Place

Officials report the tracker stopped in July with necropsy results unable to determine a cause.

Overview

  • At a Dolphin Damage Countermeasures Meeting on November 18, about 40 participants from the Fisheries Agency and coastal municipalities reviewed the case and next steps.
  • Authorities said other dolphins that approach people have been confirmed, prompting continued accident‑prevention and monitoring efforts along the Fukui and Ishikawa coasts.
  • Researchers fitted the problem dolphin with a transmitter in mid‑June to enable rapid swimmer evacuations during the beach season.
  • The transmitter’s signal ceased on July 1, and a carcass matching the animal was recovered offshore of the northern Tsuruga Peninsula on August 13.
  • A necropsy was inconclusive due to advanced decomposition, with an almost empty stomach and no evidence of marine debris; some experts have suggested human factors may have contributed, but that remains unproven.