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Largest Whale Die-Off Ever Recorded Includes Nearly 300 Calves
Image Source: Flickr. By: Manning999.
Whales are hunted and killed every year. We all know this. What we don’t know is what’s been causing the largest whale die-off ever recorded.
Over the past 5 years, at least 308 dead Right Whales (an endangered species) have been found along Argentina’s Patagonian coast. All of the carcasses were found throughout Peninsula Valdes waters and most of them (90%) were of whale calves no more than 3 months old. These calf deaths account for nearly 1/3 of all Right Whale calf sightings since 2005.
Why there are so many calf deaths, no one knows. All scientists have to go on thus far are a few clues to what the cause may be. What kind of clues? Well, for one, some of the calves have extremely thin layers of blubber. Also, the number of deaths that have happened in the Peninsula Valdes region alone is rather unusual and alarming.
A meeting was held by the IWC in Argentina earlier this month, to try to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much headway. At the very least, experts at the meeting agreed that a number of possibilities could be ruled out, including: killer whale attacks, disturbances from whale-watching boats, vessel strikes, and interference from fishing gear. WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) veterinarian, Marcela Uhart, explained:
“These last two mortality factors are the main causes contributing to the near extinction of northern right whales [along the] Eastern US.”
By ruling out these factors, scientists can focus on more probable causes of death, such as disease, lack of prey, and other environmental factors. The last time a whale die-off of this magnitude happened was during 1999-2000, when over 250 Gray Whales were found dead along a stretch from Alaska to Mexico.
Results from this month’s IWC meeting on the cause of death will be released at the annual IWC meeting in Morocco this June.
By Heidi Marshall
—
Lead image by winkyintheuk (source: Flickr)
Tags: Argentina, calves, IWC, mysterious whale die-off, Peninsula Valdes, right whales
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