BEAUFORT, N.C. (WNCT) -- Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2025, a large, dead bottlenose dolphin was reported on the banks of Deep Creek in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve in Beaufort. North Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding team members and volunteers from NC Aquariums, NC Maritime Museum/Bonehenge Whale C enter, NC State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST), and Duke University Marine Laboratory transported the dolphin to CMAST for necropsy on March 26th. The dolphin was a very thin, mature, adult male, 9.3 feet long and 428 pounds. The necropsy by the CMAST College of Veterinary Medicine faculty and staff and NC Aquariums staff for CMAST and Duke Marine Lab students revealed the probable cause of death: a large plastic bag remnant with a knot in the center in the dolphin’s stomach. (Photo courtesy of CMAST) No food items were found in the stomach. Officials adfvise people to please be aware of how plastic bags can negatively affect our environment and to use recyclable non-plastic bags instead. ...read more read less