Mass whale stranding and a whale ear

Whale earbones are dense, which allows them to hear directional sounds in water. Whales have a special structure of the ear. Effectively they see in water using sound, and to do this the ears have become modified. Ear bones originally developed in terrestrial animals. In water, it's a different story. Humans in water hear muffled sounds and can not determine where the sound originated. On land, humans use the time difference between the sound hitting the right and left ears. The brain then knows which direction the sound is coming from. But in water, the tissue of the face and the skull is almost the same density as water. So instead of going around from the right to the left ear, it goes straight through. The sound reaches both ears at the same time, hence the muffled data. In whales, the added density in their ears reestablishes their ability to hear directionally underwater. Below is an image a whale's fossils underside. The covering on the ear on the right side of a whales ear and the missing covering on the left side. This is been the case for millions of years, many millions. So what does all this mean for mass whale strandings and meteor airbursts. When I started my research into mass whale stranding, I wondered why whales seemed to turn right. And this happens in both the southern and northern hemispheres. It means at the moment in New Zealand the December airburst was to the N.W of New Zealand, Chatham Islands. They are coming in and turning. When airbursts occur in other regions, the whales start coming into different locations because their ear structure has been damaged. This is why certain regions have more strandings than others, because of population densities, migration routes and accompanying meteoroid flux that is higher and lower depending on location. Using this information, you can locate the area, the time, the distance to where the damage to the whale was initiated and how long the animals have been roaming the ocean injured. To injure a whales ear takes great force, and this can only be achieved by a meteor airburst. VLF radio waves that can sometimes accompany meteors disrupt this same organ but the survival rate is much higher because the whale is more panicky than injured.

You can follow me on facebook at Facebook

Dead whale located 4 days after airburst off New Zealand

2024, December 5. New Zealand, Tāwharanui Peninsula, Hauraki Gulf. Dead Humpback located floating in sea.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360512059/surprise-fishing-mates-dead-whale-pops-out-hauraki-gulf

Marine Animal Disturbance Alert

I'm placing a Marine Animal Disturbance alert out for the Chatham Islands and the east coast of the two islands of New Zealand after the meteor airburst. The event parameters: 2024, December 1. Pacific Ocean, east of New Zealand. Airburst. Coordinates: (-42.7, -172.4). Time: 08:50. e = 13, -e = 0.38 or 380,000 kg/TNT. Pacific Ocean 334 km E.N.E of the Chatham Islands. A pilot whale can travel up to 160 km a day. This reduces to 40 to 60km when unsettled. The combination of the noise and VLF Radio waves injures toothed whales. This holds for Baleen whales also however it is just the noise that upsets them. This event is almost three times greater than the one in South Africa that created a large sonic boom and less in altitude and at greater velocity. This calculates that it was roughly between 5 to 10m in diameter if it was a stoney meteoroid.  

Pilot whale stranding in New Zealand

2014, December 2. New Zealand, Golden Bay, Cook Strait. There are 37 long-finned pilot whales stranded at one location. 13 whales have died and 24 remain alive as of 20241203 at 06:30.

It could be linked to a previous event: 2024, November 24. New Zealand, Ruakākā Beach in Northland. Approximately 40 Black Dolphins (Pilot whales) were stranded with the resulting deaths of 4 individuals, two adults, a sub-adult and a calf.

A whale stranding in Golden Bay. (Source: Project Jonah)

Good news for Gray whales in the North Pacific

"Unusual Mortality Event" declared over. 700 gray whales deaths were recorded off the coast from Mexico to Canada between 2019 and 2023. In a worrisome few years for the North Pacific gray whale population, hundreds washed up dead on shorelines along the West Coast leading to an estimated 30% decline in their population. During the years of the Unusual Mortality Event, 347 Gray whales were stranded along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington; another 316 were reported in Mexico and 27 in Canada. The population numbers of the North Pacific Gray whale had declined during the Unusual Mortality Event, going from an estimated 20,500 whales in 2019 to 14,526 whales in 2023. Updated population numbers are expected to come out soon. Total calf production also declined, from around 950 calves counted in 2018 to an estimated 217 calves in 2022. In 2023, calf production increased slightly to 412 counted. Between 2018 to 2023 690 gray whales washed ashore from 2018 to 2023: 347 in the United States, 316 in Mexico and 27 in Canada.  Below is a map of the North Pacific Meteor Airbursts from 2018 to 2022. One of these had the equivalent energy of 49 million kilograms of TNT. They ranged from the Arctic Circle to California.

Mass stranding of whales in Tasmania

2024, November 3. Tasmania, Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s West Coast. Mass stranding of 25 Black Dolphins (Pilot Whales) in Tasmania. Four stranded pilot whales remain on a remote beach in the area, with NRE officers now assessing the situation.  

The whales during the rescue operation. Image / Wayne Mcdermott  

Rescue mission underway after mass whale stranding in Macquarie Harbour - Pulse Tasmania

Why Tasmania and New Zealand have the worst mass cetacean strandings in the world

Airbursts between the years 2000 to 2024. 

Massachusetts Whale Death

2024, October 31. USA, Massachusetts, Westport, Elephant Rock. A humpback whale washed up after being dead for some time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was only able to provide limited details.

Humpback Whale Stranded on Westport Beach

Cook Strait Fireball

2024, October 27. New Zealand, Cook Strait. Fireball. Time: 20:55NZDT around 07:53 UT. Travelling N.W. Witnessed at Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Marlborough and Wellington.

Google Maps

Information supplied by https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/

The 2019 Multiple Mass Dolphin Strandings in Iceland

2019, May 26. North Atlantic Ocean. Airburst. 56.6N, 25.3W. Time: 10:07. e = 0.14. 822 km from S.W Iceland. Altitude: 24.4 km. Velocity 17.5 km/s. 900km south of evets below.

2019, July 18. Iceland, Snaefellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland. 50 long-finned pilot whales on the shore. Concentrated in one spot and are thought to have swum ashore at the same time. Were half buried in sand, some might have been totaly buried so numbers could have been much higher.

2019, August 3, Iceland, Southwest Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, Beach at Garður. 3 weeks after first one. 50 to 70 Black Dolphins. 30 returned to sea.

(Supplied: David Schwarzhans via AP)  

2019 Airburst and Stranding

Cape Verde Mass Dolphin Stranding Incidents of 2007 and 2019

2007 Incident.

2007, February 2. North Atlantic. Large Airburst. Time: 12:48pm. Coordinates: (24, -37.2). e = 34, -e = 0.89 or 890,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 35.5 km. Velocity: NA. Note: 1731km N.W of Cape Verde Islands.

On 17-19 November 2007, Cape Verde Islands western Boavista, Equatorial Atlantic. Melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra). Concerning 265 and 70 animals two mass stranding events respectively.

2019 Incident.

2019, May 22. Equatorial Atlantic. Airburst. Coordinates: (10.8, -37.3). Time: 15:16. e = 9.5, -e = 0.29 or 290,000 kg/TNT. 1660km W.S.W of Cape Verde Islands.

2019, September 12. Atlantic. Airburst. Coordinates: ( 24.9, -47.8). Time: 02:34. e = 5.9, -e = 0.19 or 190,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 30.6 km. Velocity: 17.2 km/s. 2700Km W.N.W of Cape Verde Islands.

2019, September 24. Cape Verde, Eastern side of Boa Vista Island, Portuguese colony, Equatorial Atlantic. A total of 163 melon-headed dolphins (Peponocephala electra) were stranded in the shallow waters at around 6am. Over 100 died. The dolphins included adults, juveniles and calves. There was no evidence of Naval Sonar being responsible for these strandings.

Note: 3 days after the above stranding event. Note: 1200km N.W of Cape Verde Islands.

2019, September 27. Equatorial Atlantic. Coordinates: (25.7, -28.4). Time: 13:35. e = 3.4, -e = 0.12, or 120,000 kg/TNT.  

2019 Cape Verde

2007 Cape Verde

Mass stranding in Taiwan

2024, October 8. Taiwan, Taichung’s Daan Beach. A pod of four pygmy killer whales.

Image: Ocean Conservation Administration

Other Events: 2024, October 5. Southern Ocean / South Pacific, 1800km west of South America, Chile, Reserva Nacional Alacalufes. Airburst. Coordinates: (-55.9, -102). Time: 12:27. e = 2.7, -e = 0.095 or 95,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 39.5km. Velocity: 13.1 km/s.

2024, October 8. Spain, shores of Galicia, specifically on Pampaido beach in Sanxenxo. Dead 15-metre whale (Fin?) and dolphins wash up on shores of Spain during brutal Storm Kirk. The animal was in a state of decomposition. Meanwhile, in Fisterra, A Coruña, two dead dolphins were found washed up on a beach on Wednesday morning.  

Mass Cachalot (Sperm whale) stranding on Flinders Island, Tasmania. Updated 20241010

2024, October 6. Tasmania, Flinders Island, Bass Strait. Five Cachalots (sperm whales) found stranded on Marshall Bay Beach on Flinders Island have all died, officials have confirmed, despite efforts to save two overnight. Crews from the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and the Marine Conservation Program found three of the whales dead when they first arrived to inspect them on Monday.

(Supplied: Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania)  

(Supplied: Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania)

Google Maps

All the below meteors were caught on camera on the 7th, the day after the stranding. 

Meteor Map – Fireballs Aotearoa

Further activity

2024, October 3. New Zealand, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. Fireball. Time: around 09:20UT. 22:08NZDT.

2024, October 7. New Zealand, South Island. Fireball. Time: around 06:59 UT. 19:59NZDT. Seen at Canterbury and Tasman travelling east in the N.W of island.  

2024, October 10. New South Wales / Queensland. Fireball. Seen in locations 700km apart from western Sydney to Toowoomba in Queensland.  

Early image of a meteor bursting over Melbourne in 1934

I came across this early image of a meteor bursting over Melbourne on August 24, 1934. Victoria, Jolimont and Brunswick. Travelling S.W to N.E. The meteor, which was followed by a trail of light-blue smoke, was bright blue-white at first, changing to bright orange.  

Three airbursts Updated: 20241008

2024, September 23. South Atlantic Ocean. Airburst. Time: 06:37. Coordinates: (-45.6, -31.9). Energy: e = 5.5, -e = 0.18 or 180,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 69km. Velocity: N.A.

2024, September 28. Southern Ocean, 240km N.E of Elephant Island in Antarctica below South America. Airburst. Time: 00:10. Coordinates: (-59.8, -51.8). e = 10.8, -e = 0.32 or 320,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 34 km. Velocity: 15 km/s. This was only 374 km N.W from the airburst on June 3. It is also over 4 times more powerful than the South Africa event on August 25.

Fireballs (nasa.gov)

Updated: 20241008

Fireballs (nasa.gov)

2024, October 5. Southern Ocean, 1800km west of South America, Chile, Reserva Nacional Alacalufes. Airburst. Coordinates: (-55.9, -102). Time: 12:27. e = 2.7, -e = 0.095 or 95,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 39.5km. Velocity: 13.1 km/s. 

Black dolphins (Pilot whales) stranded in UK waters Updated: 20241003

Thirty British Divers Marine Life Rescue members are trying to rescue nine pilot whales stranded in the Swale estuary near Sittingbourne off the Kent coast. The pod has become trapped on mudflats. Specialist equipment is being used to get across 1.2km of mud to reach the whales. Near Ferry House. Will give updates later. Update: 20241003. Seven whales have died.

Swale Estuary: Four whales dead after washing up on Kent coast (bbc.com)

Google Maps

The below picture is of a fireball captured during its flight on September 17. It is one of many seen across Europe is the last couple of months. This particuar one was travelling north to south.

Credit Sarah L.  

https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/

Airbursts, Fireballs and Cetacean Strandings in last month

2024, August 25. South Africa. Small Airburst / Meteor Impact. Time: 08:51. The detonation occurred 60 km inland from the coast. Travelling east over coast. Coordinates: (-33.6, 24.5). Altitude: 38.2 km. Velocity: 20.1 km/s. -e = 2.6e10, e = 0.092 or 92,000 kg/TNT. Three massive explosions were heard near Mossel Bay, Great Brak and St Francis Bay region. One witness stated that it sounded like a jet passing over, and caused the sliding doors in their house to rattle. The main explosion was heard and felt at places over 273 km apart at Humansdorp, Patensie and Addo, and as far afield as Sedgefield and George. Meteorites were located in Nqweba from a stony chondritic meteroid estimated to be around 7 feet long. Meteorites recovered at Kirkwood, 100 km from St Francis Bay. The furthest report the scientists received of someone observing the incident was from Ceres, over 600km away from where fragments were spotted. The fireball that streaked across the heavens was heard from Gqeberha to the Karoo 315 km apart. There were reports of small fragments hitting the water offshore. See September 14 humpback death.

2024, August 27. UK, Cumbria, Braystones, near Whitehaven, Irish Sea. A dead juvenile minke or fin whale. Measuring approximately 3.5m (11.5ft) in length.

2024, August 27. USA, Florida, St. Augustine Beach. Dead dolphin. South of the A Street beach access. Its carcass was found heavily shark-scavenged.

2024, August 28. USA, North Carolina, Corolla. A very emaciated pygmy sperm whale that washed up on an Outer Banks beach had to be euthanized.

2024, August 30. Bangladesh, Sonarpara beach of Cox's Bazar sea coast. A dead spinner dolphin. The length of spinner dolphin is 8 feet and weight is 95 kg. It is assumed that the dolphin might have died within 24 hours.

2024, August 30. Alaska, Prince of Wales Island. Subadult female Humpback was found in waters near Craig.

2024, August 30. Italy, north east, Porto San Rocco in Muggia, located in Trieste. Crews removed the carcass of a Fin whale measuring 13 meters (42 feet), which was discovered underneath a pier. Appeared to have been dead for no more than 7 days. See 2024, August 12.

2024, September 2. Scotland, Lunan Bay, Angus beach. A large male minke whale washed up deceased and decomposed. The whale may have become entangled.

2024, September 2. Thailand, Phuket’s Bang Tao Beach. A pregnant 2.24-metre-long female Dwarf Sperm whale with a 50-centimetre-long male calf, tragically choked by a stomach full of rubbish, was found dead.

2024, September 2. Alaska, Prince of Wales Island. Humpback, young male whale was found in waters near Craig.

2024, September 3. Philippines, Mariveles, Bataan. A dead dolphin was found floating near a beach resort in front of the Freeport Area of Bataan. The cetacean measured four to five feet in length. There are verifying reports of another dead dolphin sighting off Barangay Cabcaben in Mariveles.

2024, September 3. Egypt, near Cairo. Large Bolide. Caught on camera from the International Space Station. Time: at 5:42 am (IST)

2024, September 5. Philippines, North Luzon, N.E in the Philippine Sea. Airburst. Coordinates: (18, 123). It was 86 km east from the coast. Energy: -e = 6.2, e = 0.2 or 200,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 25km. Velocity: 19.7 km/s. Time: 00:39PST. UT around 16:39 on the 4th. Asteroid 2024 RW1 was discovered 8 hours before entering the Earth's atmosphere. Asteroid Designation: CAQTDL2. Diameter: 1.5 m or 4.9 ft. Mass: 6 metric tons. It created a fireball seen over Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon and Cordillera Administrative Region. Delayed and concurrent sound heard.

2024, September. Ukraine. A baby white-sided dolphin has been washed up on the coast of the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park in Odesa Oblast. A dead bottlenose dolphin was also found near the national park in the village of Hrybivka. Dolphins had also washed up on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria and on the Sea of Azov coast earlier. About 50,000 dolphins perished in the Black Sea over the first eight months of the full-scale war.

2024, September 6. Timor Sea/Indian Ocean. S.W of the Indonesian Island of Sumba. Airburst. Time:12:36. Coordinates: (-12.9, 118). e = 2.1, -e = 0.076 or 76,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 27km. Velocity: 22.6 km/s.

2024, September 6. Indonesia, Liliweri, Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. A total of 17 pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were found dead stranded on the coast. The condition of these whales was poor with wounds from being hit by rocks on the coast, each about 10 to 15 meters apart. East Nusa Tenggara Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service, police, village government and local communities are organizing the burial. (See also February 5 and May 24 Airbursts).

2024, September 10. USA, California, Carmel River State Beach. A stranded killer whale rescued died while in transport to Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory.

2024, September 10. USA, California, Ventura County, Port Hueneme. A dead minke whale washed up along the coast. Was found near a jetty close to the lighthouse.

2024, September 11. North Sea. Fireball. Drenthe, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen and Schleswig-Holstein. Time:around 19:10. UT. 21:10CEST. Travelling N.N.W.

2024, September 14. South Africa, St Helena Bay, located at Sandy Point Beach Estate on the West Coast, Cape Town. Dead Humpback floating offshore. 20 days after August 25^th airburst.

2024, September 14. USA, Long Island, Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton Beach. A dead whale landed at on Saturday morning. The whale carcass, a 62-foot finback whale, is not intact due to “significant predation and decomposition”.

2024, September 14. India, Visakhapatnam. A dead Spinner dolphin (Stenella Longirostris) washed ashore at RK Beach. ‘dead strandings’. Responding unit East Coast Conservation Team (ECCT), Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.

2024, September 17. Malayia, Kuala Sungai Padang area. The carcass of a Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), weighing about 130kg. The dolphin has been dead for three days. The carcass did not find any injury on the body and the cause of its death is still under investigation.

2024, September 16. USA, Cape Cod, Linnell Landing. 14 bottlenose dolphins stranded with three confirmed dead. In just the last two weeks, rescue agencies have responded to 26 dolphin strandings, both common and bottlenose, so we have been on high alert and monitoring their movements closely.

2024, September 22. USA, Oregon, Hug Point State Park in Clatsop County. A giant sunfish, (mola mola). Washed up on an beach for the third time this summer. Three sunfish have washed up on beaches in the county since June. A mola tecta, or hoodwinker sunfish, washed up in June, followed by another mola mola in August.

2024, September 22. Thailand, Kata Noi Beach in Phuket. A rare Risso’s dolphin carcass, tragically entangled in a pile of rubbish. The Rare and Endangered Marine Animals Group, part of the Upper Andaman Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (MCRC) is investigating.

2024, September 22. UK, Hartlepool. The whale was spotted at the Headland. Experts believe it to be a Minke.

2024, September 22. USA, Texas, near Kahala Beach on Galveston Island. A dead pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) was found stranded.

2024, September 25. UK, Headland Beach, Hartlepool. Believed to be a minke or fin whale and is unable to be moved.

2024, September 26. Indonesia, Teritip Beach, about 35 kilometers north of Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. Cachalot. The mammal had reportedly been stranded for 4 days before dying.

Glacier retraction and meteor streams

An interesting discovery in my research has been the sporadic retraction of glaciers globally. I will write further about this in the future; however, this is one of the main findings. Europe versus Greenland. In Europe the glaciers are under a condition of rapid retreat whereas in Greenland they are growing or stable. Why? The answer seems to be in meteoroid streams and the scattering of iron and other elements into the atmosphere. Europe since 1850 has been a very active region for meteor activity whereas in Greenland it seems to be rather non-existent and still is. This stream or activity is steadily moving westward. The darker snow gets the more heat it will absorb and this seems to be the case in Europe. There is also a correlation in other parts of the world. Once again meteors are the quiet killer that are not just affecting whales, they are affecting other environmental foundations we rely on. 

Cape Cod mass dolphin stranding. Update 20240919

2024, September 16. USA, Cape Cod, Linnell Landing. 14 bottlenose dolphins were stranded with three confirmed dead. In just the last two weeks, rescue agencies have responded to 26 common and bottlenose dolphin strandings.

Cape Cod bottlenose dolphin stranding – NBC Boston

Big rise in stranded dolphin numbers in UK.

 Big rise in stranded dolphin numbers, say rescuers (bbc.com)

Europe is being ravished by floods. Airbursts and meteors are fueling the disaster. Update: 20240918

Witnessed fireballs in Europe in September.

2024-09-19, 22:052,UK, France, Denmark, Netherlands.

2024-09-19, 01:45CEST, Germany, Austria, Bavaria.

2024-09-17, 23:49CEST, Netherlands, Denmark.

2024-09-17, 22:35CEST, France.

2024-09-17, 02:28BST, England, Wales.

2024-09-15, 01:35CEST, Italy.

2024-09-14, 22:06, UK, France.

2024-09-14, 22:06 time zones; UK, France.

2024-09-14, 20:22 time zones, UK, France, Belguim, Wales.

24-09-13, 20:22BST;UK, England, Wales.

2024-09-13, 00:112, Romania, Belguim.

2024-09-11, 21:10CESTNL, Denmark.

2024-09-07, 22:01CEST, Denmark, Netherlands.

2024-09-06, 23:41CEST, Netherlands.

2024-09-06, 23:18CEST, France.

2024-09-06, 20:11CEST, Italy.

2024-09-05, 22:42CEST, France.

2024-09-05, 21:21CESTFR, France.

2024-09-03, 20:24BST,UK.

2024-09-02, 22:46CESTITFR, Denmark, Germany.

2024-09-02, 03:23CEST, Netherlands.

2024-09-01, 02:07CEST, France, Denmark.

There have also been unrecorded airbursts causing tremors. 

From the past. Extract.

1783: The summer of the year 1783 was amazing, portentous and full of horrible phenomena for besides the alarming meteors and tremors from Sicily to Norway and the tremendous thunderstorms that affrighted and distressed the different countries of this kingdom the peculiar haze or smoky fog that prevailed many weeks were a most extraordinary appearance, unlike anything known within the memory of man.

Airbursts so far in 2024.

Indonesia Airburst and whale stranding Updated: 20240913

2024, September 6. Timor Sea/Indian Ocean. S.W of the Indonesian Island of Sumba. Airburst. Time: 12:36. Coordinates: (-12.9, 118). e = 2.1, -e = 0.076 or 76,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 27km. Velocity: 22.6 km/s.

2024, September 6. Indonesia, Liliweri, Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. A total of 17 pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were found dead stranded on the coast.

The region is very active this year.

Rainfall during the dry season in Northern Australia and Typhoons in Central Asia is all related to increased meteor activity. Mass whale strandings in the Philippines, Thailand and dozens of other deaths including ones in Taiwan, China, Indonesia and other localities. On May 22. Passenger Flight SQ321 experienced what's been classed as "severe turbulence" while it was over southern Myanmar. One passenger died of a heart attack and 30 more were injured when the Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence.

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.

Dolphins, Pygmy killer whales and humpbacks ashore

2024, August 2. USA, Maine, Wells. Humpback whale carcass found floating off the coast.

Officials monitoring dead whale off coast of Southern Maine (wabi.tv)

2024, August 3. Thailand, Tha Le Bay, near Baan Ao Kung, Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s east coast. Six Pygmy killer whales (feresa attenuata) rescued from stranding in a mangrove forest. One small killer whale died and another remains in critical condition after becoming stranded in the mangrove forest.

Pygmy killer whales rescued from stranding in Phuket mangrove forest (thephuketnews.com)

2024, August 5. UK, River Thames. Two dolphins were found dead along the banks of the river in London. This follows sightings of a common dolphin struggling against the tide last week. The first dolphin was seen in distress from late Thursday morning and seemed to be battling with the strong currents. By Monday, a deceased dolphin was found on the riverbank near Chelsea Harbour Pier.

2 dolphins found dead in River Thames after struggling against tide - MyLondon

(Image: PA Media)  

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)