Skin disease affects dolphins living in the Gippsland Lakes!

Scientists from the Dolphin Research Institute are still baffled by a skin disease affecting dolphins in the Gippsland Lakes in south-east Victoria.

Most of the dolphins in the lakes have developed skin lesions since the floods in July and nine dolphins have been found dead there in the past two years.

Researchers held meetings with vets from the Melbourne Zoo and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) last week to try and identify the problem.

Dolphin Research Institute executive director Jeff Weir says he is trying to raise funds to continue the investigation.

"It may well be ... that they've come into this environment in a 10-year drought and they've been able to survive quite well where the salinity has been fairly high, and it may be that, look, we really don't know," he said.