Whale Strandings, oil and erosion

Taking deceased whales off the beach and burying them in landfill is environmentally bad. The oil in whales stops the erosion of the sand by calming the water. This natural phenomenon has been noticed for many centuries. The next time whales strand in numbers it is better to spread out the whales over kilometres of coastline and let them rot rather than waste the erosion-preventable product. It is also great for fish, insects and land animals. This could greatly benefit sensitive areas such as K'gari, and other delicate regions where erosion affects the most, and many whales strand regularly. Cyclone season might not take a heavy toll if the sand had a higher oil content. Many people are against this idea because of the stench, however, any inconvenience in the short term outweighs the loss of coastal land and property. This has probably being the number one cause of coastal erosion in Australia in certain areas. Nature is being interfered with. Human beings are too eager to bury and forget rather than think through long-term options thoroughly. The taking of whales off the beach over the last 200 years has dried and weakened the sand. Every part of the whale is beneficial to this cause. The bones work as a break and are themselves full of oil. Imagine the number of whales taken from the beaches of Australia since European settlement. Note: A blue whale found recently buried on a beach is still leaking oil 26 years after washing ashore. 

71 Dolphins strand and die in New Zealand. Update: 20240822 Two fireballs days after stranding

2024, August 19. Chatham Islands, New Zealand, Hanson Bay near Owenga. A total of 71 pilot whales were stranded on a beach in Chatham Islands. All died or were euthanised. The stranding was reported to the Department of Conservation (DoC) around midday on Monday.

Credit: New Zealand Herald

71 pilot whales die after stranding on Chatham Islands beach - NZ Herald

2024, August 19. USA, Virginia. Two dolphins, one in Sandbridge and the other in Chic’s Beach. Both animals were deceased when they were reported. It is unclear what may have killed the dolphins. Postmortem exams and assessments will determine the cause of death.

Update: 2024, August 21. Tasman Sea, New Zealand. Fireball. Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki. Time: around 06:34UT, 18:34NZST. Travelling E.S.E towards South Island/Cook Strait region.

2024, August 21. New Zealand, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Waikato. Time: 11:30 UT. 2024-08-21 23:30NZST. Traveling S.S.W. S.E of Auckland.

2 dolphins wash ashore in Virginia Beach – Daily Press

2024, August 14. South Africa, south of Durban, Athlone Park. A dead Humpback whale with its stillborn calf protruding through its birth canal, still in its placenta, washed out onto the shore at an Athlone Park beach. The incident happened near the Wavecrest Road flats.

Update: Dead whales wash out onto beach in Athlone Park | South Coast Sun (citizen.co.za)

Rescue efforts to save dolphins stranded on Tasmanian beach near Devonport. Update: 20240814 Fish deaths in Victoria

Six short-beaked common dolphins were found stranded in Tasmania at Hawley Beach, east of Devonport, around 9:30am on Tuesday.

This stranding is interesting because the atmosphere has been energetic since the July 3 fireball incidents. I looked at the data since and found that meteor activity was increasing. It's the most active for the region this year. Below is a snapshot of the sky on the 31 July. Unfortunately, I haven't any camera data from the 3 August onwards and the bad weather has seen blank cards so I will have to wait, maybe a week or more to find out any further information. Hopefully, something large has come in and was caught on one of the Victorian cameras. This is a great example of having real-time data to allow warnings for probable events? We need cameras around Tasmania and more cameras in the coastal regions of Victoria!!!!

Meteor Map – Fireballs Aotearoa

Rescue efforts underway to save dolphins stranded on Tasmanian beach - Pulse Tasmania

2024, August 14. Victoria, Port Phillip Bay. Hundreds of dead fish washed up on the foreshore of Capel Sound. It appears to have affected one type of fish species.  

Multiple whale deaths in USA

2024, August 1. USA, New Jersey, north side of Indian River Inlet. A female juvenile short-finned black dolphin weighing about 500lbs. stranded itself.

Pilot whale washes ashore on north side of Indian River Inlet | Bay to Bay News

2024, August 5. USA, Farallon Islands. A dead whale of unknown species floating in the shipping channel.

2024, August 8. USA, California, Golden Gate Bridge, Point Bonita. A juvenile male humpback was found floating. Experts are not certain it isn't a different whale to the one above. According to data from the Marine Mammal Centre, Four other whales – gray whales and two humpbacks – have washed up on Bay Area beaches so far this year. One death was confirmed to be the result of a ship strike while the cause of the other three remains unknown.

Multiple dead whales spotted across Bay Area (sfgate.com)

2024, August 10. USA, Southern California, Torrance Beach. A juvenile fin whale, about 40 feet in very poor body condition, appeared to be very sick and in distress when it was spotted inside the surf line. Shortly after it died.

Massive fin whale washes ashore on Southern California beach (ktla.com)

Perseids 2024 LIVE. Aug 10-11 from the Subaru Telescope on MaunaKea, Hawaii

It's worth watching live at the moment.

Whales and ship strikes in Alaska?

Note: A ship hitting a whale doesn't mean it wasn't dead or sick before being struck. Points: fresh carcass, isolation of the area, multiple deaths simultaneously, necropsy findings undetermined.

2024, July 2. USA, Alaska, Icy Strait, Elfin Cove. Floating humpback whale, which ultimately washed ashore. Yearling individual. Postmortem examination of this male found injuries consistent with a vessel strike as the cause of death. Blamed on ship strike?

2024, July 22. USA, Alaska, Icy Strait, Point Adolphus. A second humpback whale for July was reported floating at sea. Individual name: SEAK-1731. A 23-year-old female was first spotted as a calf in 2001 and has a sighting history in Southeast Alaska and Hawaii. Similar to the July 2 incident. Quote from the article: "While the necropsy team found evidence suggesting blunt force trauma from a possible vessel strike, the cause of death could not be confirmed at the time of the necropsy."

Ship Strike Suspected as Cause of Death of Two Whales in Alaska | NOAA Fisheries

Credit: Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services.  

Marine Animal Disturbance alert for Western Australia coastline

Marine Animal Disturbance alert for Western Australia coastline. Perth to Albany. Duration for next two weeks. This is not as large as the April 15 event causing the April 25 stranding; however, the quantity of accompanying debris warrants a watch. The atmosphere is volatile at the moment. With every incident, valuable data will be obtained to narrow the field of meteoroids responsible for marine disturbances.

2024, July 29. Western Australia, Indian Ocean. Meteor. Time: 20:04. Coordinates: (-34.98, 112.9) (-35.8, 113.57). Velocity: 41.5 km/s. Duration: 2.76 sec. Height: 108.8 to 82.6 km.

Meteor Map – Fireballs Aotearoa

April 15 event

Japan places Fin whales on the country’s commercial harvesting list

Japan is still killing whales out of spite, arrogance and environmental ignorance. Australia's Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s has condemned the decision saying it was “disappointed by Japan’s decision to expand its commercial whaling program”. The UN needs to step up and do something now not later. 

Australia condemns Japan’s decision to hunt endangered species: ‘End this practice’ (yahoo.com)