Yes, we were in the area when dozens of beached whales died, admits Navy
THE Royal Navy has signalled for the first time that its vessels may have been responsible for the UK’s largest ever stranding of deep-diving whales.
In 2018, an ‘unprecedented number’ of Cuvier’s beaked whales and northern bottlenose whales washed up on the shores of the north-east Atlantic – including around 60 on the beaches of Scotland.
At the time, the Ministry of Defence emphatically denied that the deaths could be blamed on any Royal Navy operations – despite long-held suspicions by conservationists that marine mammals are harmed by high-powered military sonar.
However, with an official scientific body set to publish its report into the strandings, the Navy has radically shifted its position.
In a statement to The Scottish Mail on Sunday, a spokesman said: ‘The Royal Navy were operational in that area at that time.
‘We are unable to provide further detail of those operations as this could prejudice the defence of the UK.
‘The Royal Navy acknowledges the risks that active sonar use poses to marine life and takes various precautions before and during operations to minimise these risks.’
The charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation said it was ‘as close as the Navy gets to admitting its responsibility’.
Spokesman Danny Groves added: ‘Sadly this would not be the first time that military exercises have been linked to the deaths of whales.
‘Noise pollution interrupts their normal behaviour, driving them away from areas important to their survival and, at worst, injuring them or sometimes even causing their deaths.’
Between July and October 2018, a total of 118 beaked whales were reported dead and beached in advanced stages of decomposition in countries bordering the northeast Atlantic, with more than half of them in Scotland.
More whales washed up on the Irish, Icelandic and Faroese coasts. The dead animals were mainly Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus), which normally inhabit deep underwater canyons.
In its annual report for 2018, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) – which is funded by the Scottish Government – noted: ‘The UK figures represent over a thousandfold increase on the mean annual number reported over the preceding four-year period. At an individual country level this represented an unprecedented strandings incidence for these species.
‘Ziphius cavirostris is a deepwater species known to be highly susceptible to noise, in particular mid-frequency active sonar.’
Using tidal current and wind charts and other data, investigators managed to pinpoint the place where all the animals originated from – an area to the west of Ireland called Porcupine Bank.
There was speculation in 2018 that Navy subs were tracking a Russian submarine in the area.
At the time, the MoD denied any involvement in the strandings. A spokesman stated in August 2018: ‘There is no evidence that the deaths of these marine mammals have been attributed to any sonar operations, trials or exercises.’
SMASS subsequently conducted a full investigation and is due to publish its report in the coming months.
Its author, Dr Andrew Brownlow, yesterday declined to reveal its conclusions ahead of publication.
However, he said: ‘Disease was not found in any of the animals.’
It is thought that sonar waves can frighten deep-diving whales, forcing them to surface too quickly, leading to symptoms similar to the bends in humans.
Cuvier’s beaked whales are deep divers and rely on echo location to navigate the pitch-black depths of the Atlantic.
Mr Groves said: ‘For whales and dolphins, listening is as important as seeing is for humans – they hunt, navigate and communicate using sound – yet there are still no international regulations regarding noise pollution in the world’s seas.’
In 2011, 19 pilot whales died after stranding on the north coast of Scotland. A report blamed four bombs detonated underwater by the Royal Navy.
In 2013, analysis of the UK’s largest dolphin stranding in Cornwall suggested naval exercises were the probable cause.
‘Not the first time that military linked to deaths’