Authorities in Greece will reportedly pause seismic surveys within the Ionian Sea close to Corfu after a number of whales had been discovered beached in current days.
Between February 20 and February 21, Greece's Ministry of the Surroundings and Power reported three situations of whales having to be rescued after changing into stranded off the coast of Corfu.
The kind of whale in all circumstances was the Cuvier's beaked whale, additionally referred to as Ziphius cavirostris. They're thought-about protected underneath the U.S. Marine Mammal Safety Act.
On February 20, the Greek Surroundings Ministry stated one such whale had gotten caught off of the Corfu coast and needed to be taken again into deeper waters with the assistance of volunteer rescuers. One other particular person was discovered on one other a part of the island as effectively, which was additionally reportedly returned to deeper waters with the assistance of native divers and volunteers.
The next morning, one other member of the species was discovered caught in shallow waters simply 500 meters away from the place one of many whales had been discovered yesterday. Once more, native rescue groups relocated the animal again to deeper waters.
The ministry stated it had stepped up patrols within the space in case any additional strandings occurred.
On Friday, native information outlet Greek Reporter reported that the nation had introduced a brief cease of seismic surveys within the sea after the spate of whale strandings.
It is believed that seismic surveys being performed by a close-by ship to find oil and gasoline underneath the ocean might be linked to the strandings, the information outlet acknowledged. The ministry is alleged to have requested fast details about the surveys from ELPE Upstream, the corporate behind them.
Seismic surveys are identified to have dangerous and doubtlessly deadly results on marine life. In a seismic survey, compressed air is blasted into the deep ocean utilizing airguns and the ensuing noise can be utilized to map the seabed.
Many marine species depend on sound for key life features equivalent to communication, orientation or finding prey. There was robust proof that seismic survey noise, which could be recorded 1000's of miles away from its supply, can intervene with the lives of those animals.
The Pure Assets Protection Council (NRDC) states that for marine life, a seismic blast "is sort of a bomb repeatedly going off of their dwelling each 10 seconds—a house they cannot flee."
Newsweek has contacted Greece's Ministry of the Surroundings and Power for remark.
The difficulty of lifeless whales has develop into an enormous one on the U.S. West Coast in recent times with tons of of people being discovered lifeless within the area since 2019. Whereas it had not been attainable to establish the reason for dying for all of them, a number of seemed to be abnormally skinny or weak.
In the meantime California was just lately reported to be a world hotspot for shark strandings, with pathogens within the water doubtlessly a contributing issue.
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