Combination of factors killed North Sea whales

An international study has concluded that 30 sperm whales found dead in the southern North Sea in 2016 died from “a combination of several complex environmental factors”, rather than human causes.

Scientists from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme took part of the project, which included tests on a whale that washed up in Angus.

Lead researcher Lonneke Ijsseldijk, from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, said: “We found no evidence of man-made trauma due to entanglement or ship-strike, nor was there evidence of significant levels of chemical pollution. In nine examined whales, marine debris was also found, but had not caused obstructions of the gastrointestinal tract or starvation and were deemed to be of secondary importance.”