Wildlife experts in Cornwall have found nine dead dolphins on local beaches and say they died within 24 hours of each other.

Environmentalists blame the resurgence of the seasonal bass fishing industry on the south coast of the county.

Stella Turk has been compiling a database of stranded animals for the past ten years.

She believes the dolphins are not dying from natural causes.

We know the pair trawlers are now active and the French fleet is moving in Stella Turk

"We know the pair trawlers are now active and the French fleet is moving in," she said.

"We get this year after year in the first three months of the year and we can get as many as one a day and this has exceeded that.

"There were 32 in December alone and December is usually a fairly quiet month."

At the end of 2002, the RSPCA called for urgent action from the government and EU to prevent the deaths of hundreds of dolphins and porpoises in commercial fishing nets.

The government is due to release its response later in the year.

And for the first time the European Commission is considering including plans to deal with the issue in its Common Fisheries Policy .