THE second dolphin death in two weeks on the LeFevre Peninsula has sparked demands from experts for urgent answers over the mass death of marine life along Adelaide's coastline.

A juvenile dolphin was found dead at Outer Harbour by a member of the public on Monday, April 8, about 7.20am.



This followed another dolphin calf found at Outer Harbor the previous weekend.



These deaths have taken the total number of dolphins found washed up on Adelaide beaches over the past five weeks to 17.



Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society education manager Mike Bossley said he was concerned the deaths were symptoms of a deep-rooted problem.



The overall number of dolphin deaths was worst he had seen in his 25 years working in the area.



"Large die-offs have happened in other parts of the world, and without wanting to sound alarmist, I am worried that could happen here," Dr Bossley said.



"The reason I'm worried ... is because I've never seen this number of deaths before and I'm worried it is a prelude of what is to come."



Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society member Marianna Boorman said the number of dolphin deaths was "extremely concerning".



SA's Environment, Water and Natural Resources Department animal welfare manager Deb Kelly echoed the concerns.



"We know that rare tides have caused mass mortalities in other parts of the world and we are concerned this is the beginning of things rather than the end," she said.



Dr Bossley said a State Government taskforce set up last week to investigate the mass fish kill needed to release its findings as a matter of urgency.



"While I am very pleased that the State Government has put together this taskforce, I hope that it is resourced properly so that we can quickly get information about what is happening to these animals as soon as possible," he said.



"I haven't seen anything like this and it is quite concerning."



Ms Kelly said she expected test results back within the next two weeks.



"Probably at this stage though it is looking most likely to be a natural phenomenon caused by an algal toxin and warmer tides."



Over the past two weeks, Adelaidenow has revealed:



Seventeen dolphins have mysteriously washed up on beaches in the past five weeks, including two at Outer Harbor;



Two penguins were found dead at Holdfast Shores and Seacliff;



Tens of thousands of small fish - as well as snapper, whiting, kingfish and mulloway - were found washed up in the sands between Semaphore and Sellicks Beach.



Ms Boorman said "it's upsetting and very sad that we have lost so many dolphins".



"At this time of year its not unusual to see baby dolphin deaths, due to their quite low survival rate, but the fact that we are seeing dolphins of all ages being washed up on our metropolitan beaches is very concerning," she said.



Fisheries Minister Gail Gago said testing of fish and water samples would be completed as soon as possible.



"To date, pathology tests show no evidence of disease, with evidence so far tending to suggest the predominantly juvenile fish that have died have been subjected to heat stress or lower oxygen levels consistent with algal blooms," Ms Gago said.

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