Blame for death of stranded whale is ours, say scientists
THE first stranding of a True’s beaked whale off the British coast has been reported, as scientists blame human activity for rising ocean mammal deaths.
The female cetacean, one of the world’s rarest whale species, was found dead at Kearvaig Bay in Sutherland earlier this year. It is now in the collection of National Museums Scotland.
Scientists have said humans are spooking the whales with noise from boats forcing them into waters that are too deep or shallow for them.
The cause of death of the whale, which was discovered on Jan 29, was found to be trauma linked to live stranding, most likely as a result of a severe storm, possibly Storm Brendan, on Jan 13.
But Dr Andrew Kitchener, principal curator of vertebrates at National Museums Scotland, told The Telegraph there are a “number of human activities” that could cause animals harm, such as entanglement with fishing gear, and ingestion of plastics.
True’s beaked whales are at particular risk from sonar, he added, explaining: “Given they live out in the deep ocean, and often take long, deep dives for feeding, beaked whales are additionally sensitive to disturbance by mid-water naval sonar. This can cause deafness and disorientation, or scare the whales, so they either rush to the surface or dive deep down before getting a chance to restore their oxygen levels. In both cases, this often results in symptoms similar to decompression sickness [the bends] and death.”
Dr Andrew Brownlow, veterinary pathologist in charge of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, Scottish Rural College, said: “Beaked whales are a famously difficult or ‘cryptic’ species to understand.”