Blogging About Critters Since 2007

Sunday, October 10, 2010

At Least Five Dead Whales Around Bay Area

Really sad. It looks like they are getting killed by ships as they try to eat krill.
A bountiful crop of krill and busy shipping lanes are to blame for a rash of dead whales that have surfaced around the Bay Area within a few short months, according to scientists.

At least five dead whales have been sighted or have washed ashore around the region since late July, not including a male fetus found near its 80-foot-long mother in Pescadero on Oct. 2.

..."We're definitely seeing an increase in ship strikes - it's awful," said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Researchers say the animals appear to be following abundant swarms of krill - the tiny, shrimp-like creatures that make up whales' favorite food group - right into the path of ship traffic. Last year's krill population was also large, but it did not bring the same cluster of whale deaths.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Pelicans in the Bay Area are dying too. One of the reason is that they frequently get caught in fishnets. Please, help us to re-list California Brown Pelicans as endangered species at: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/help_california_brown_pelicans
Thanks!

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