‘Marianna’ the dolphin found dead in Port River sanctuary
Fifteen-year-old Marianna, often considered one of the most popular dolphins in the Port River sanctuary, has been found dead.
SA News
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One of the most popular dolphins in the Port River sanctuary has died.
Marianna, a 15-year-old male dolphin, died in recent days, with the news confirmed on Tuesday evening.
Jenni Wyrsta, a member of the Port River Dolphin Watch enthusiast group, posted on social media, saying: “It is with deepest sadness and still in shock to announce our beautiful young boy Marianna has been found deceased”.
“His body has been sent to the SA Museum for necropsy. Lost for words right now.”
The dolphin was named after Marianna Boorman, a long-serving volunteer at Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
“I’m absolutely heartbroken,” Ms Boorman told The Advertiser.
“He was one of the most friendly and playful dolphins and one that we would see most regularly.”
Ms Boorman, an avid dolphin photographer, said Marianna lived in the inner Port River, close to the Birkenhead Bridge, where significant maintenance works have been occurring.
“It’s such a huge loss – Marianna was only 15 years old and should have lived to at least 30 or 40 years old.”
It is still unclear how exactly Marianna died or where his body was found.
A review of recreational fishing activities in the Port River dolphin sanctuary was recently ordered by the State Government.
The review is set to be considered at the Minister’s Recreational Fishing Advisory Council meeting on Thursday.
It could result in the banning of the heavy lines and large hooks to reduce dolphin entanglements in the sanctuary.
In January 2019, Marianna was spotted in the Port River with a fishing line on his dorsal fin.
Marianna’s death is not believed to be related to entanglement.
“Unfortunately the Port River dolphins face a number of threats – being hit by boats, caught on fishing lines, the effects of pollution – there are a number of issues that they face,” Ms Boorman said.
“We certainly need to be doing a lot more to make the area safer and protect them. It’s actually really worrying, because the number of dolphins in the sanctuary are diminishing.”
There are between 30 and 40 dolphins estimated living in the Port River. Some go in and out of the river, while some stay just in the sanctuary.
Only two out of 12 calves born in the sanctuary over the last two years have survived, Ms Boorman said.
gabriel.polychronis@news.com.au
