Cetacean strandings...

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Cetacean strandings...

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sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:45 pm Post subject: Cetacean strandings...

Record strandings of dolphins and whales 'are tip of the iceberg'

By Danielle Demetriou

09 March 2005

The number of whale, dolphin and porpoise strandings has more than doubled in the UK in the past decade.

The figures published yesterday prompted calls for further monitoring of coastal areas in order to curb the death rate.

The top 10 sites for strandings over the decade were listed in the Natural History Museum report, Out of the Blue .

The report found that strandings rose from 360 in 1994 to 782 in 2004. The biggest increase has been in the past five years, according to the report. The surge was attributed to winter strandings of short-beaked common dolphins and harbour porpoises in south-west England.

Richard Sabin, whale and dolphin stranding scheme co-ordinator at the Natural History Museum, said that the total volume of deaths was likely to be much higher. "Only a small percentage of the total number of dead dolphins and whales are washed up on our shores, so the recent dramatic increase in strandings represents a much larger number of deaths," he said.

"The help of individuals in reporting strandings, both on land and at sea, is vital to our research. In identifying key areas of the UK we hope that people will be particularly vigilant in these areas and help the work of the UK whale and dolphin stranding scheme."

The worst area in the UK was Cornwall, while the Outer Hebrides has the highest number of strandings for Scotland, and Gwynedd in Wales.

Gerrans Bay and Veryan Bay in Cornwall. Thurlestone in Devon and Firth of Forth in Scotland were among the top 10 sites for strandings.

While strandings can occur throughout the year, there were seasonal changes, according to the report. The site of the strandings is determined by factors including sea currents, local geography, prevailing winds, storms and fisheries activity.

The reasons cited for strandings include sickness, disorientation, natural mortality, extreme weather conditions, or injury. One of the most recent and high-profile causes of death has been cited as "bycatch", the accidental capture in animals in fishing nets. Such incidents have prompted efforts to ban pair trawling, in which a large net is strung between trawlers, in British waters, amid reports that it has greatly increased strandings of dolphins and porpoises. Environmental campaigners have blamed the deaths of thousands of dolphins on the technique.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:47 pm Post subject:
There's a lot of theories on this one aren't there

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:49 pm Post subject:
Obviously it's not a good thing, but I wonder whether part of the increase is down to more concern among the public and therefore more reporting.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:50 pm Post subject:
I heard that on the news toady - we get Cornish news here. There are few sadder sites than a dead dolphin on the beach. personally I htink it's a combination of the prevailing conditions whihc are exacerbated by fishing activity, whther by nets themselves or not; maybe the very act of boat fishing somehow disturbs them and disorientates them.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:52 pm Post subject:
There a lot of sounds in the ocean nowadays, they may have an effect too.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:53 pm Post subject:
Do you mean the sonar soundings and things? Bound to affect them somehow.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 3:55 pm Post subject:
That and the noises made by normal shipping traffic, ships produce a lot of noices at frequencies lower than we can hear which I believe are audible to cetaceans.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 4:09 pm Post subject:
Do you know if there has been any investigation done on the effects of sound on marine life? wonder if the Whale and dolphin folk know..........

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 4:18 pm Post subject:
Some, none that I can remember much about though

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 4:49 pm Post subject:
Same here. I have certainly heard some stuff about the issue, but it was along time back.

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 7:43 pm Post subject:
There's some stuff about it here: https://www.eurocbc.org/page2.html You'll have to rootle about, but they've got quite a big archive.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 11:59 am Post subject:
Thanks Sean.

N.V.M.

Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 207
Location: British Columbia,Canada,eh!

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 1:59 pm Post subject:
THIS occurred only a few days ago in the US. they are blaming the submarine.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 2:01 pm Post subject:
That's a lot in one stranding. Something specific must have caused it.

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