‘Distressing' sight as rare deep-diving whale & calf wash up on Irish beach & experts probe ‘acoustic trauma' theory

The Irish Sun

4 days ago

The two whales became stranded and died on Kilcummin beach in Co Mayo
SAD STORY 'Distressing' sight as rare deep-diving whale & calf wash up on Irish beach & experts probe 'acoustic trauma' theory
A WHALE and her calf have died following a stranding on a Mayo beach, in what has been called a "very distressing incident" to witness.
The True's beaked whale and her calf were seen swimming into shallow water at high tide on Kilcummin beach on 27 July.
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Experts believe the whales died from acoustic trauma caused by human activity
Credit: Cathy & Angela Kelly
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The whale calf was found dead a few days after its mother
Credit: Cathy & Angela Kelly
Both animals beached themselves on the shore.
The mother is believed to have died quickly; the calf, however, managed to refloat but was found dead a few days later.
According to the CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Dr Simon Berrow, similar incidents took place around the same time in the Netherlands and Orkney in Scotland.
Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, he said: "When you put them all together, it could just be a coincidence, or it could indicate that something has happened.
"Typically, when these deep-diving species live-strand, your first thought is it could be acoustic trauma."
He explained: "This is generally associated with typically naval exercises because the navy - not the Irish navy – would use a thing called an 'active sonar', which is the same frequency as the whales use to communicate, and they're incredibly sensitive to these frequencies."
These loud man-made sounds can cause significant harm to the whales and cause them to surface too fast, giving them the bends.
According to Dr Berrow, nothing could have been done to save the whales after they became stranded.
Notably, he said the stranding of these whales marks only the second confirmed sighting of True's beaked whales in Irish waters.
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True's beaked whales are deep divers, typically found at depths of over 800 metres, where they feed on deep-sea fish and squid.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group described the stranding as "a very distressing incident".
The group said it is 'extremely grateful' to the members of the public who alerted the organisation.
'PARTICULARLY CONCERNING'
In a statement regarding the incident, they said: "Live strandings of beaked whales are particularly concerning.
"Unlike coastal dolphins, these animals are not suitable candidates for refloating due to the distance from their natural habitat, and the high likelihood of re-stranding."
They added: "Multiple strandings of deep-diving species in different regions in a short time may indicate a shared acoustic event.
"Two Sowerby's beaked whales also live stranded on Saturday in the Netherlands.
"In the Netherlands, live-stranded beaked whales are typically euthanised, as the North Sea lies far outside their natural habitat."
According to the organisation, four Northern bottlenose whales were also stranded in Orkney off the north coast of Scotland around that time.
They added that while they "do not know if these events are linked" multiple strandings of deep-diving species in a short time frame "are always a cause for concern and close monitoring".
An investigation is currently underway to identify the cause of these strandings.