Dear all,
Once more we have bad news regarding Cuvier's beaked whales in the
Ionian Sea. The local population unit, which has repeatedly been
affected by NATO naval activity (last time in February 2011 east
of Sicily) may be steadily heading towards its extinction...
Today 30 November 2011 at least three Cuvier's beaked whales
stranded alive and atypically in west Corfu, along 23 km of coast.
All whales were led offshore by people who tried to rescue them.
One whale died some 200 m offshore. Another whale, after having
swam some 600 m offshore, returned and stranded once more (if this
wasn't a different animal). It was led once more offshore after
the sunset, so no further information is available so far. The
third animal was not seen after it was "rescued".
I would like to draw your attention on two "peculiarities":
1) Independent rescuers in two different stranding areas,
reported that they were hearing "whistles" while approaching the
single animals. The "whistles" were heard even out of the water at
a distance of 100 m from the animal (!), and became much louder
when the rescuers entered the water to approach the animal. The
rescuers kept hearing the "whistles" until they left the place,
two hours after the death of the unique whale present! They
thought that there might be other whales calling the stranded
animal from further offshore, although they could observe nothing
for hours.
Two independent rescuers (separated by 23 km) described these
"whistles" as "emission"-pause of 10-15 seconds-"emission"-pause
and so on. I wonder if what the rescuers were hearing was the
probable sonic cause of the stranding. If you have a similar
experience or knowledge, please share it with us.
The rescuers didn't see any military or seismic survey vessels
from the shore. A fisherman from the area said that today he saw
an "unusual" research vessel offshore that he believes (it is
known in the area that seismic surveys have started or are about
to start) was performing research for oil.
2) The whale that died 200 m offshore was found at about
3-4 m depth at an unusual position (to me at least). Its flukes
were on the sea bed while the beak and part of the head of the
animal was out of the water! For some reason the head could float
at surface and the animal never sunk. Does anyone has an
explanation?
Unfortunately no necropsy was performed to the animal that died.
The port-police authorities and local volunteers have been alerted
and we just hope that tomorrow we won't find more animals along
the coasts.
Repeated use of military sonar and now growing seismic survey
activity go on in an area that is critical for the two deep diving
Mediterranean species, the Cuvier's and the sperm whales. In 2007
ACCOBAMS officially proposed the creation of a MPA for deep diving
cetaceans in the eastern Ionian Sea (Hellenic Trench), but nothing
has happened so far.
Best wishes,
Alexandros
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Dr. Alexandros Frantzis
Scientific director
Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute
Terpsichoris 21
16671 Vouliagmeni,
GREECE
Tel.: +30-210-8960108
e-mail: afrantzis@otenet.gr
website: http://www.pelagosinstitute.gr
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