The carcass of a 10-foot dolphin washed ashore the Marwada-Gholwad coast in Dahanu on Wednesday afternoon. According to a zoologist, the mammal got caught in a ghost net. A ghost net refers to a fishing net that has been abandoned in the sea and is barely visible in the dim light.
The carcass was spotted by a resident, Ajit Maachi, who alerted the forest department at Bordi in Dahanu. Forest officials have made a panchnama of the incident.
“The dolphin was found with a rope around its mouth, fins and neck. It is possible that it got caught in a ghost net that was originally meant to catch small fish,” said Bhushan Bhoir, professor of zoology at Sonopant Dandekar Shikshan Mandali College in Palghar. “It is common for dolphins to get stuck in fishermen’s nets. But they are often freed as the state government awards ₹25,000 to fishermen for rescuing injured whales and dolphins.”