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The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that a shark had ripped a chunk of flesh from the 7.6-foot, 350-pound dolphin's head after it had died.
The MMSC responded to reports of the dead dolphin entangled in a net floating close to shore in Long Branch on Thursday, Aug. 29. Under the direction of MMSC’s Stranding Coordinator, the Long Branch Beach Patrol pulled the dolphin ashore and secured it until MMSC arrived on scene.
"The net was tightly wrapped around the dolphin’s body, with ligature wounds evident around the head and peduncle (tail stock)," the MMSC said. "A large shark bite wound was present near the blowhole and had occurred post-mortem. The carcass was moderately decomposed, and therefore no longer viable for further biological sampling."
Long Branch Department of Public Works disposed of the carcass at their facility. Two smooth dogfish and a fluke were also found entangled in the net. The net was removed from the dolphin and taken back to MMSC for further documentation.
Once the staff was able to fully stretch out the net, which was twisted upon itself through a hole in the netting, it measured 9 feet deep and 66 feet in length. The net is being retained for any further investigation.
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