Five adult dolphins washed ashore in different towns in Ilocos Sur province on Sunday and Monday, but three of them died, and marine mammal experts were pointing to blast fishing as the possible cause of the mass stranding. Hasmine Chogsayan, veterinarian at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Ilocos region, said the two surviving dolphins were taken to a BFAR facility in Narvacan town for rehabilitation. One of them, which was later named “Maxine San Juan,” was found by fishermen in San Juan town at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Sotelo, Y. (2022, December 7). Blast fishing blamed for dolphin stranding. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A10.