Five whales wash ashore in Fla.

[Judi Lynn]

Friday, March 31, 2006 · Last updated 5:19 a.m. PT
Five whales wash ashore in Fla.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. -- The body of a melon-headed whale, rarely found in Florida waters, washed ashore this week hours after four others were found dead or had to be euthanized because scientists determined they were too sick to be saved.

The first was found dead Wednesday morning at Vero Beach. The others were discovered on Hutchinson Island later that day, said Steven McCulloch, executive director of marine mammal research and conservation at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution.

"It's been kind of a wild goose chase, and we're not sure it's over yet," McCulloch said.

All of the melon-headed whales, also known as electra dolphins, were about 7 to 9 feet long and appeared thin and malnourished, said Greg Bossart, director of marine mammal research and conservation at Harbor Branch, a research facility north of Fort Pierce.

Necropsies showed that the animals had ulcers in their stomachs, a sign of stress, and had not eaten for weeks.
(snip/)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Dead_Whales.html

[gratuitous]

1. Homeland Security responds to threat against Gov. Bush

Okay, this isn't a joking matter, but that's the first thing (God help me) that popped into my over-fevered brain.

[China_cat]

2. Possibly the Navy getting the ok

to use the ultrasonic crap that they were warned would adversely affect cetaceans?

[acmejack]

6. Where did you see that about the ultra sonic sonar?

I am aware of the other types, like the LF which has been the one which has been doing so much harm as well as the medium frequency models it now appears. I actually worked on sonars at one time, I still remember seeing reports, obvious lies in retrospect stating the ranges at which a human could be from the face of the transmitter an experience "extreme discomfort". It categorically assured us that it WAS NOT harmful to aquatic life, the lying fucks.

Ultrasonic doesn't propagate very well through a medium such as sea water, so it is really quite range limited. They would test an ultrasonic set up at Panama Beach or they would have in the old days. I would like to learn more, I will research it on my own, just hate to reinvent the wheel if I don't have to.

[China_cat]

7. LFAS system

This is an older article. The Navy was warned about this and went ahead anyway.


http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1999/04/sonar.html

[acmejack]

21. Ok, that's the Low Frequency one.

It is very bad for whales. totally despicable of the Navy.

[Teaser]

3. Republican spin:

Whales were just looking to have a good time on spring break

[Shine]

4. Bummer. Whales are magnificent creatures. n/t

[MrPrax]

5. Florida? Navy Sonar!

It's a good trade-off though-- so long as there is an American that feels unsafe, then losing a species of mammals or two is only fair trade.

[WhiteTara]

8. the seas are empty

years of seining the ocean has rendered it sterile. I am sure we will be finding more "new species" and dying old species. The new ones are coming up from the bottom in search of food that isn't there.

"All of the melon-headed whales, also known as electra dolphins, were about 7 to 9 feet long and appeared thin and malnourished, said Greg Bossart, director of marine mammal research and conservation at Harbor Branch, a research facility north of Fort Pierce."

[revree]

9. God help us...

these amazing animals have probably had enough of human abuse...

[mike923]

10. Or...

whales have beached themselves for thousands of years, and this year is no different.

[Boomer]

12. This is not a conventional beaching

Although the underlying causes of beaching aren't understood, starvation isn't one of the symptoms.

Where or not it's related to the beaching, the death of these whales was inevitable. They are starving to death, as are large populations of sea birds. As are sharks. As are any ocean animals at the top of the food chain.

[Judi Lynn]

20. This wasn't a beaching, as Boomer wrote. They WASHED ashore dead.

They had died of starvation well before their bodies washed in.

That's not an age-old problem.

[Boomer]

11. Sea animals are starving to death

There have been at least a half-dozen or more reports posted on DU within the last year documenting the death of whales, sharks, sea birds -- all from starvation. The ocean food chain has collapsed, starting with the plankton that supports the entire chain.

Between global warming and commercial fishing, we have literally scoured the oceans of viable life. What we're seeing now is the debris of a crumbling eco-system.

[Opusnone]

13. Could the deaths of the coral be a coincidence?

From today's Sun-Sentinel:

Caribbean coral reef deaths hit a record
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/caribbean/sfl-pacoral31mar31,0,6908064.story?coll=sfla-news-caribbean

Coral is dying at an alarming rate off the Florida coast.

[Boomer]

15. Related at a basic level

The coral reefs are bleaching due to temperature and acidity changes in the ocean. These same conditions appear to be adversely affecting plankton and other organisms at the base of the ocean food chain. As the lower layers of the food chain begin to dwindle, so do the fish that eat them, and finally the animals that eat the fish.

[earth mom]

14. This breaks my heart

and scares the hell out of me at the same time. What is happening to our Oceans?! :cry:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. And why don't these fuckers even give a damn?!

That's what blows my mind. How can they NOT care about the destruction of the planet? :cry::grr::banghead::mad::nuke:

[karlrschneider]

18. The planet can't be destroyed (at least soon* or by us), but it could

easily refuse to be hospitable to homo sapiens sapiens.

* unless there's a REALLY big asteroid we haven't noticed coming 'our' way..

:eyes:

[bloom]

16. Ocean Acidity Study Shows Shells Dissolve With Living Animals Still Inside

Article in the Environment section. About acidity in the oceans - might be one reason....


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x48274

[Rocknrule]

19. Was Rush one of them?

[superconnected]

22. usually when whales wash ashore, a few days later we find out about

an oil spill, that the tanker didn't report till they were caught by the coast guard.

[allisonthegreat]

23. there were some whales that beached themselves @

at naggs head, nc about a month ago..i was reading an article online about it earlier this week...Global warming???