Record number of humpback whales found dead in Brazil

[n2doc]

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

(10-13) 09:09 PDT SAO PAULO, (AP) --

Marine scientists say a record number of humpback whales have been found dead on the Brazilian coast this year.

Milton Marcondes of the Humpback Whale Institute says at least 75 have died in 2010. The previous high was 41 in 2007.

Marcondes says most died at sea and their carcasses washed ashore. Some beached while still alive and perished.

Marcondes said Wednesday that the deaths reflect a higher mortality rate.

Scientists are investigating whether disease may be a factor, or if warming oceans may be diminishing the supply of krill that whales eat.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/13/international/i090921D72.DTL&tsp=1

[hatrack]

1. I'm not worried! There's an agreement to limit krill fishing to 3.47 million tons/year!!

Of course, that's just the limit on the Atlantic side. And China's first krill fishing factory arrives on the Pacific side this year. But seriously, I'm sure these agreements will ensure that everything works out just fine!

Nature reports that Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), one of the Earth’s largest sources of protein, has come under stress as the rapid growth in krill fishing has been added to climate change as an extra threat to crustaceans. Whilst fish farms worldwide are increasingly depending on krill to feed fish, krill also feels the impact of climate change because its larvae feed on algae from the bottom of the shrinking sea ice around the Antarctic Peninsula.

In October, at the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the issue of the annual catch limit of 3.47 million tonnes in the Atlantic section of the Southern Ocean will be raised for discussion. Also under discussion will be the rising number of krill fishing ships deployed in the Southern Ocean, which includes China’s first ship in 2010.

EDIT

http://www.sciencepoles.org/news/news_detail/looming_antarctic_krill_crisis_as_fishing_industry_grows/

[Nihil]

4. F*ck.

The estimates for a humpback whale's diet vary quite widely but seem to
average out at about two tons of plankton, krill and very small fish every day
during the feeding season (~120 days) so call it 250 tons per whale per year.

(I know that whales aren't the only creature that eats krill but "a whale" makes
a useful metric to compare consumption when playing with rough estimates like these.)

Factory fishing ships don't have feeding seasons nor do they starve to
death (or even limit their population growth) if they consume all of the food
in a region - they just move on and do the same to another area of previously
productive water.

A krill fishing quota of 3.47 million tons/year in the Atlantic side alone
equates to adding about 14000 whales just in that ocean ... or, given the above
differences in reaction to overconsumption, the krill fishing fleet alone is being
allowed to eliminate 14,000 whales per year.

:grr:

There may well be times when I'm proud to be human but this isn't one of them.

[arcane1]

2. Could that dastardly SONAR be involved?

Assuming that we are still using it...

[NickB79]

3. The South Atlantic seems like an odd place for sonar problems to arise

Not many subs patrolling those waters.