Friday 27 September 2013

Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time

An investigation of a mass stranding of melon-headed whales in Madagascar in 2008 blames ExxonMobil echosounder

September 2013. An independent scientific review panel has concluded that the mass stranding of approximately 100 melon-headed whales in the Loza Lagoon system in northwest Madagascar in 2008 was primarily triggered by acoustic stimuli; more specifically, a multi-beam echosounder system operated by a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production (Northern Madagascar) Limited.

In response to the event Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) led an international stranding team, with assistance from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), to help return live whales from the lagoon system to the open sea, and to conduct necropsies on dead whales to determine the cause of death.

Concern over high-frequency mapping sonar systems
According to the final report, this is the first known marine mammal mass stranding event of this nature to be closely associated with high-frequency mapping sonar systems. Based on these findings, there is cause for concern over the impact of noise on marine mammals as these high-frequency mapping sonar systems are used by various stakeholders including the hydrocarbon industry, military, and research vessels used by other industries.

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