Stranded Whales New Zealand
Discussion
Farewell Spit on South Island has seen yet another mass beaching of whales over the last day or so. This time it's about 400 pilot whales that have become stranded with over 300 of those having perished and the remainder being attended to by volunteers.
Are we any closer to knowing why this happens and so often?
BBC link
Are we any closer to knowing why this happens and so often?
BBC link
It is heartbreaking to see but this happens again and again around the world. I've read all sorts of ideas about how they become disorientated but it would be interesting to know if there are any statistics to indicate if the occurrences are on the increase or remain static. Theory is that some kind of human activity interferes with their navigation but if it was happening 100 years ago that would seem unlikely.
Make all the tinfoil hat jokes you want but I reckon it's because of us. We have created so much pollution in the water that the whales can't stand it. Fukushima, all the water based nuclear bomb tests. And then there's that huge pile of plastic floating in the middle of the Atlantic. Isn't it something like 100 square miles where you can't even see the water for the garbage floating,
Some kind of homing instinct. Emanresu said:
Make all the tinfoil hat jokes you want but I reckon it's because of us. We have created so much pollution in the water that the whales can't stand it. Fukushima, all the water based nuclear bomb tests. And then there's that huge pile of plastic floating in the middle of the Atlantic. Isn't it something like 100 square miles where you can't even see the water for the garbage floating,
The North Atlantic gyre;1000 square miles of plastic garbage floating island. We were shown videos of it, and the carnage it causes for wildlife, as part of our offshore training tedium. It is really nasty the sort of stuff we humans have inflicted on the nature of this planet. The greenies reckon seismic survey, which is what I used to do, causes whales to get confused, but we weren't doing it 100 years ago.
Emanresu said:
Make all the tinfoil hat jokes you want but I reckon it's because of us. We have created so much pollution in the water that the whales can't stand it. Fukushima, all the water based nuclear bomb tests. And then there's that huge pile of plastic floating in the middle of the Atlantic. Isn't it something like 100 square miles where you can't even see the water for the garbage floating,
400 whales committed suicide?He're is my thought on the matter.
If the Japanese were really into investigating whales scientifically they would be far better flying in teams to study this sort of behaviour than harpooning whales not beached in the southern ocean.
I am happy with them taking the carcasses of the dead whales for sale for food to offset the scientific costs.
That to me seems a happy compromise.
If the Japanese were really into investigating whales scientifically they would be far better flying in teams to study this sort of behaviour than harpooning whales not beached in the southern ocean.
I am happy with them taking the carcasses of the dead whales for sale for food to offset the scientific costs.
That to me seems a happy compromise.
Gandahar said:
He're is my thought on the matter.
If the Japanese were really into investigating whales scientifically they would be far better flying in teams to study this sort of behaviour than harpooning whales not beached in the southern ocean.
I am happy with them taking the carcasses of the dead whales for sale for food to offset the scientific costs.
That to me seems a happy compromise.
They aren't into scientific examination. That is only their official excuse to keep killing (and eating) whales.If the Japanese were really into investigating whales scientifically they would be far better flying in teams to study this sort of behaviour than harpooning whales not beached in the southern ocean.
I am happy with them taking the carcasses of the dead whales for sale for food to offset the scientific costs.
That to me seems a happy compromise.
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