Pesticides found in central Queensland dolphins

TRACES of the banned pesticide DDT and the man-made PCB chemicals have been found in dolphins in the Gladstone Harbour and Fitzroy River.

TRACES of the banned pesticide DDT and the man-made PCB chemicals have been found in dolphins in Gladstone Harbour, in the Whitsundays,Townsville and the Fitzroy River near Rockhampton, a long-time dolphin researcher said.

Daniele Cagnazzi, a post-doctoral researcher with Southern Cross University's Marine Ecology Research Centre, has published his findings on contaminants found in dolphins.

The Brisbane Times reported that Dr Cagnazzi said his findings suggest the chemicals were washed from fertilised fields and have been slowly absorbed by dolphins at the other end of the food chain.

His findings are part of one of Australia's longest-running dolphin research projects, the Capricorn Cetaceans Project (CCP). 

The project has been looking at the long-term conservation and management of inshore dolphins in central Queensland since 2006.