Leaders in Brevard County are hoping more money can help bring a stop to a virus that's killing dozens of dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon.
Northern Merritt Island has been the epicenter for most of the dolphin deaths. Scientists suspect infected bottlenose dolphins from the ocean carried the virus into the Indian River and the Banana River. The virus killed thousands of dolphins in the ocean, officials said.
Officials with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute have responded to 41 dolphin deaths in 2014. Most of those are due to a measles-like virus in the lagoon. That's about 11 more than officials would expect for this time of the year.
There is no vaccine for the virus, and most of the dolphins that are killed are babies.
"It makes sense: If (the dolphin's) mom has the virus and they're unable to take care of the calf, the calf can die," said Megan Stolen, a scientist with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. "Or if (the mom) actually transferred the virus to the calf, the calf can die from the virus itself."
Last year, Hubbs-SeaWorld responded to more than 100 dead dolphins in the Indian River due to an unknown cause. Just as soon as that problem seemed to be dissipating, though, the measles-like virus started to show up in the lagoon.
The virus is putting stress on staff and resources at the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. Last week, the Brevard County Tourism Development Council agreed to give Hubbs-SeaWorld $15,000 in emergency funding to help fight the dolphin-killing virus.