A call has been made to respect local marine wildlife following the death of a baby common dolphin, which was washed up on Goodwick Parrog beach.

The baby dolphin was washed up on the beach on Tuesday, July 20, with Fran Eggby and Lloyd Nelmes from the Sea Trust called out to retrieve it.

Suspicions were raised after this event, as only the day before, a single adult common dolphin was reported in Fishguard Bay by marine biologist Chris Pierpoint.

It is unusual for these animals to be on their own, and it is believed that the adult was a mother, separated in some way from the baby, who she was looking for.

With there being no signs of injury on the dolphins, it has been suggested that the baby possibly died due to being separated, possibly because of people disturbing them.

Cliff Benson, founder and managing director of the Sea Trust said: "The good weather has produced a lot of pleasure boat traffic. We fear someone saw the dolphins and chased them to get better views or photos, causing them to get separated.

"Ultimately this may have caused the death of this baby dolphin. We have seen people harassing dolphins here in the past so although this is just a guess, it is not unlikely.

"If you see dolphins from your boat, please keep a good distance and continue in a straight line. If the dolphin (or dolphins) decide to come to you fine but please don’t chase them. That is against the law and you could be liable to a heavy fine or even prison. If we see people harassing dolphins, we will report them to the police.

"We want people to be able to enjoy our marine wildlife but we also want people to care for and protect it so we don’t have to pick up more dead babies."