Pilot Whale strandings

[Packhorse]

Looks like the stranding season is back with us.
On Friday a pod of Pilot whales stranded themselves near Marsden point, Whangarei (south of Tutukaka/ Pook Nights). Half were refloted and sent back out to sea only for them to become restranded yesterday.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=00075C97-89C5-1555-990283027AF1010F

Now listening to Great Barrier Rescue Coastguard on the VHF a pod of Pilot whales are looking distressed close to shore on GB Island. Probably the same pod.

 

[almitywife]

yeah, i was reading aboot it yesterday.... so sad

you would think with all that "scientific research" the japanese are doing that they might come up for a reason/answer/way to avoid such a horrific event.... the workings of a pod is still so alien to us

kudos to those that get out there and try to help them turn around and head back to sea... i hope they regroup and keep surviving!

 

[Packhorse]

Um yeah, the Japanese
Me thinks they would be trying to discover how to get them to strand in specific locations.

 

[almitywife]

man... NOW thats an interesting concept!!!!

its so sad.... i saw footage of a stranded dead whale being taken out to sea in perth and about a dozen GWS had a feeding on it.... it was amazing but still so sad

 

[Packhorse]

Here if whales die the local Maori have rights to it.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=160360

 

[almitywife]

hmmmm - dont know what to think about that... ive not been to NZ so i have no understanding of this attitude or culture

i would like to be culterally senstive but i still believe whaling is wrong

i do belive this though,

........indigenous people's right to traditional harvesting of whales was a front for commercial whaling.

 

[Packhorse]

Im fine with it. The Maori used to whale before the evil white man (oops I mean Pakeha) appeared on the seen. They gave up that right in 1978 (or had it taken from them) even though the use of whale products are a part of thier culture. What I'm not so fine with is some (A small minority I would hope) that believe all whales stranded should be left to die so they can be harvested.

 

[Zingtea]

you would think with all that "scientific research" the japanese are doing that they might come up for a reason/answer/way to avoid such a horrific event....

I guess it's scientific research if it means killing hundreds of whales in one winter, cutting them up and selling their meat to markets and restaurants and saying that they eat fish and that they're bigger than people...

 

[Allison Finch]

My question would be....Is anyone's navy testing Low/high frequency sonar? Known to disrupt whales causing them to strand.

 

[MuscleBob.Buffpants]

There are various theories about the particlular beaches (in NZ) that the pilot whales strand on being sandy, with a low slope. This (they theorise) can cause the whales sonar to return a false value - the whales think they are swimming into deep water, when they realise they are too shallow, it is too late. Distress calls from the stranded whales then attract the others in the pod into the same shallow water (once again due to false sonar returns).