Dead Dolphins Linked to Drug Trafficking
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Scientists said today that a phosphorescent chemical dropped in the Gulf of California by drug traffickers was among the causes suspected in the deaths of dolphins and whales off the western coast. Forty-two dolphins were found dead today near Culiacan; at least three whales were found dead in the same area in the last week. Fishermen also report schools of dead sardines. Scientists say they are investigating a cyanide-based chemical, NK-19, which is used by drug traffickers to mark ocean drop-off sites as one possible cause of the deaths, the largest reported in a year. The decomposed state of most of the mammals may make investigation difficult. ”We are sending a team to take samples from the animals, to check chemical and pollution levels,” said Luis Miguel Flores, director of the School of Ocean Sciences at the University of Sinaloa. An environmentalist, Homero Aridjis, said the Government may be ignoring NK-19 as a possible cause because of the sensitive nature of the drug-trafficking issue. But the director of Greenpeace Mexico, Roberto Lopez, says a combination of pollutants may have caused the deaths. Source : query.nytimes.com |