No conclusion yet in dophin deaths

Remember earlier this year, when the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration began a probe into dozens of dead dolphins that had washed up on Southeast Texas beaches? Well, several months into the investigation, the NOAA hasn't figured out what killed the dolphins — and officials say they're unlikely to find an answer.

Nearly 70 dolphins washed ashore on beaches in Galveston and Jefferson counties, at least 60 of them in March — a sharp upturn from the nine discovered in March 2006 and the 11 in March 2005. "Right now, we can't discount any causes of death, but we also can't say anything definitely played a part in the deaths," Heidi Watts of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network told the AP. "We can't give a definitive answer on how or why they died." According to a TSSMN report, investigators initially thought the dolphins were being washed in from far offshore or farther north because they were so decomposed when they were found. Interestingly enough, investigators have since learned that the dolphins lived along the Texas coast, not offshore, the AP reports — but because of the decomposition, that may be all they're able to figure out. "I really don't think additional findings are going to yield any new information at this point," Watts said.

The number of stranded dolphins has decreased since this spring, but it's still not zero: Three live dolphins washed ashore in Texas last week and died, though Watts said there's no evidence that they were related to the dolphins that died earlier in the year. Still, NOAA officials said they'll continue their investigation until no more deaths are occurring.