have been as high as 1,100,000. The greatest threat to Sperm whales had been extensive commercial hunting, particularly of large males, but that has virtually ended although small-scale fisheries still exist in Japan and Indonesia. A number of threats still remain, including entanglement in fishing gear (especially gill nets), collisions with ships, ingestion of marine debris, and ocean contaminants. Heavily depleted populations from whaling days have still not recovered.
The IUCN report reflects studies through approximately 2008, omitting a wealth of science about events from then until now. Between January 9 and February 4, 2016, 29 sperm whales stranded and died on North Sea beaches in Netherlands, France, Britain and Germany, the largest mortality event on record. Mass strandings of sperm whales are not uncommon in the region, with records of sightings dating back to the 16th century. Multiple explanations have been offered, such as the whales searching for food in shallow waters (sperm whales can dive as deep as two miles to find food), disorientation, starvation, depletion of prey -giant squid and octopus, warming of the world’s ocean, and noise from underwater bomb explosions and seismic surveys. Little has been said about a possible culprit – noise from offshore wind farms. Because that area has the world’s largest concentration of offshore wind turbines, it is reasonable to infer that the noise created by the turbines can interfere with whales’ sonar, communication and navigation and could be one cause. Investigation is ongoing.
There is overwhelming evidence that our ocean is in peril, and the health and safety of marine animals is in jeopardy like no other time in history. Regardless, good people continue to do great things to protect and preserve our increasingly endangered cetaceans.
Learn more about CONNY, Cetacean Society International and the World Cetacean Alliance by visiting www.csiwhalesalive.org and www.worldcetaceanalliance.org or check out our Facebook pages.
Patricia Sullivan MS Ed. Education Director, Cetacean Society International
Co-Chair, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning Working Group of the World Cetacean Alliance
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Children's Museum.