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Bulgaria Finds 25 Dead Dolphins on Black Sea Coast |
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| BULGARIA: April 24, 2006 | ||
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SOFIA - Twenty-five dead dolphins washed up on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on Friday, and officials said they probably drowned after becoming entangled in fishing nets.
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The authorities do not suspect poaching, which was blamed for the deaths of 11 dolphins found dead on the coast of Bulgaria's northern neighbour Romania earlier this month. "We have never had so many dolphins entangled in fishing nets. They may have been in a group and some of them got trapped," said Atanas Cholakov, head of the state fishing agency in the northeast town of Dobrich. Hunting the animals is forbidden in Bulgaria, as they are on the list of endangered animals. Average penalties for killing a single dolphin vary between 500-1,500 levs (US$316-$947). "We have no grounds to suspect illegal fishing ... You need at least 100 dolphins to be able to sell them and make a profit, plus penalties are very high," Cholakov said.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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