A dead dolphin has been found on a west Dorset Beach.

West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team were called out yesterday afternoon to a dead dolphin in the Area of Hive Beach.

The crew were sent on behalf of the Receiver of the Wreck as dolphins are classed as a royal fish.

As early as the 12th century, wreck and salvage laws allowed for the legal recovery of wreck materials and during King Edward II’s reign in 1322, a Royal Fish Prerogative came into effect, which established the monarch’s ownership of ‘wreck of the sea,’ which included whales and sturgeon – and later, porpoises and dolphins.

A spokesperson for West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team said: “The details were passed back to Solent Coastguard and the officers were then stood down.”