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A Cuvier's beaked whale that washed ashore earlier this month in Donegal. Conor McGuckin via IWDG

Record number of dead beaked whales washed ashore in Ireland this month

During the same period at least 13 were found in Scotland and two in Iceland.

THE NUMBER OF dead beaked whales that have washed ashore during the month of August has reached record levels.

Between 3 and 22 August, a minimum of 16 Cuvier’s beaked whales washed up dead on the Irish coast while during the same period at least 13 were found in Scotland and two in Iceland.

Strandings Officer for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Mick O’Connell has said that the numbers reported are the absolute minimum as previous studies have suggested that only a small number of dead animals actually get washed ashore.

In previous years, annual strandings for this species would typically have been between zero and three for an entire year.

No cause of death has been established for any of the mammals as they all washed ashore in very poor conditions.

The IWDG has said that causes such as diseases and plastic ingestion are all unlikely because the condition of all the carcasses implies that they all died around the same time.

“The behaviour and distribution of this species make large-scale fisheries interaction also seem unlikely,” the group said.
projectIconSource: IWDG
Cause of death

Cuvier's beaked whales are thought to be one of the deepest diving whales and typically live around deepwater canyons near the edge of the continental shelf.

O'Connell said that they are seldom seen alive, with the most information about them found by examining stranded animals. 

Judging from events around the world, beaked whales are susceptible to death or injury due to extremely loud man-made oceanographic noise such as that produced by low and mid-frequency naval sonar and certain types of acoustic survey used to examine the sea floor and below according to the IWDG. 

"Mass strandings of beaked whales coincidental with naval exercises have been recorded in Greece, the Canaries and the Bahamas," O'Connell said. 

While no definite cause has been established for the whales that have washed up this month, O'Connell has said that the mass strandings need to be recognised as an unusual stranding event in an effort to identify and "perhaps prevent a future reoccurrence".

"If the strandings are recognised as an unusual stranding event in Scotland it would mean that the British government will investigate the deaths, possibly from the point of view of the British Navy," O'Connell said.

Britain’s Royal Navy regularly carry out training operations using sonar while the Irish Naval service does not use sonar on its vessels during any of its activities.

When previously asked about the whale strandings the Navy said in a statement that there is “no evidence that the deaths of these marine mammals have been attributed to any Royal Navy sonar operations, trials or exercises”.

“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and continue to work with the relevant UK authorities to reduce any environmental risk."

O'Connell said that he has emailed the Irish government regularly since the strandings started earlier this month to get it to investigate the causes of death, but he has yet to receive a reply.

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    Mute Paul
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:18 PM

    Suggestion. If viable, the seized drugs could be cleaned and refined so it may be possible to use the end product in pharma

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    Mute Nigel Mcatamney
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    Apr 24th 2019, 2:04 PM

    @Paul: good idea, only there’s very little coke in irelands coke, and the way our authorities price Cannabis, we be buying back 4 fold from pharma…. But your progressive thinking is what’s needed as opposed to all the nay sayers.

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    Mute Todd Hebert
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    Apr 24th 2019, 2:23 PM

    More wasted Gardaí resources. :(
    Legalise, regulate, tax!

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    Mute Mick.
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    Apr 24th 2019, 3:08 PM

    @Todd Hebert: Ahh yes the legalise argument. Why not legalise Crystal Meth and Heroin too!!!
    Maybe we can give Fentanyl out like sherbet while we are at it!!! What could possibly go wrong?????

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    Mute Wez Moore
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    Apr 24th 2019, 3:27 PM

    @Mick.: Let’s take it one step at a time.. Although I appreciate your enthusiasm.

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    Mute Seamus Mac
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    Apr 24th 2019, 5:51 PM

    @Todd Hebert: i saw a guy last week beating the shxt out of his girlfriend outside their house. They were fighting over heroin. I intervened & called the guards. Drugs are a poison on our society. We need more regulation & stricter sentencing along with adequate rehabilitation resources.

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    Mute Tony Donoghue
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    Apr 24th 2019, 11:37 AM

    Grassed up?

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    Mute Niall Binéad
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    Apr 24th 2019, 11:46 AM

    @Tony Donoghue: welcome to the debate!

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    Mute Tony Donoghue
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:05 PM

    @Niall Binéad: are u the master?

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    Mute Niall Binéad
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:18 PM

    @Tony Donoghue: my welcoming you to the debate was sarcastic….. what does grassed up even mean? Are u the master? Wtf does that also mean? If you’re going to add your voice towards the content of the article…. great, if you’re just going to try start your own conversation….. great, I’m out!

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:26 PM

    @Niall Binéad: I believe it’s a pun; marijuana sometime being referred to colloquially as ‘grass’, which is also a verb meaning to inform the authorities of another’s (illicit) activities.

    This is a comments section, not a moderated debate.

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    Mute Tony Donoghue
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:40 PM

    @Niall Binéad: I know we don’t want Trump & O’Sullivan out so early, hopefully he will win final frame decider!

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    Mute Fr Romeo sensini.
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    Apr 24th 2019, 12:41 PM

    @Karen Wellington: I’m impressed.

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    Mute Tony Donoghue
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    Apr 24th 2019, 3:31 PM

    @Niall Binéad: chill dude, you’ve become v uptight since all that cannabis was seized!

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    Mute McNulty Jimmy
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    Apr 24th 2019, 5:45 PM

    Bit of a stretch calling Ballyfermot west Dublin

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