Environmentalists have sounded the alarm over an overwhelming rise in dead sea mammals being washed up on Bahrain's shores.

Sea creatures, especially dolphins, are increasingly in danger with at least two deaths recorded each month this year, said Environment Friends Society (EFS) president Dr Khawla Al Muhannadi, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

She spoke to the GDN after the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) found the carcasses of a seal, a baby bottlenose dolphin and a sea turtle during a site visit near the northern coast of Bahrain last week.

The council said that the dolphin was just two days old and its umbilical cord was visible, while the other two creatures were decayed carcasses by the time authorities found them.

It attributed illegal fishing practices and engine turbines as suspected reasons for the deaths.

In the latest incident, the carcass of a bottlenose dolphin has been rotting away near Bahrain Bay for weeks.

A GDN reader who spotted the creature said he informed authorities several times but nothing has been done.

"Deaths of sea creatures, especially dolphins, have been on the rise as per our records this year," said Dr Al Muhannadi.

"We have spotted nine cases of dead turtles, dolphins or dugongs.

"Every month during this year, we recorded an average of two to three deaths of sea mammals, mainly dolphins and turtles.

"There were some months when there were five deaths recorded.

"These numbers, according to our analysis, are only a fraction of what the actual figures are.

"Compared to previous years, it is definitely on the rise and we have cautioned the authorities on this."

The GDN reported that a dead dolphin and two dead sea turtles were spotted in Al Dar islands and Al Dur in August, while a female Chinese white dolphin was found dead off the coast of Sitra in September.

Dead bottlenose dolphins were also washed ashore near Bahrain Fort in Karranah and Juffair in November.

Dr Al Muhannadi urged Bahrainis and residents to protect the environment by making changes to their daily routine.

"Let's all express our love for Bahrain by making changes from today in the way we impact its air, soil, water and ecosystems," she said.

"Protecting the environment is a national duty, and when an endangered species dies unnecessarily in our sea or land just because we were not careful enough to reduce our ecological footprint, then we are not being good citizens and we are not thanking Bahrain."

The GDN reported in August that response teams were patrolling Bahrain's coastline on speedboats to combat illegal fishing practices that were believed to have caused the deaths of rare marine species.

The SCE had issued a warning to fishermen to be "extra cautious" following sightings of a rare species of dolphin in Bahraini waters. - TradeArabia News Service