"Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

[Emily]

http://www.bluevoice.org/blog.php

Horrific dolphin mortality north coast of Peru

I arrived here on Tuesday 3/28. On that one day we found 615 dead dolphins on 135 kilometers of beach north of San Jose, Peru. This tragedy is unspeakable. I have never heard of this level of UME (unusual mortality event). BlueVoice is working with Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos of ORCA Peru. Tissue samples have been obtained and will be analyzed. This must be investigated....

 

[Shiloh]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - nearly 900 dead

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - nearly 900 dead

Source: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/19/peru-investigates-deaths-of-almost-900-dolphins/

Peru investigates deaths of almost 900 dolphins
Agence France-Presse Apr 19, 2012 ? 3:09 PM ET

LIMA ? Officials in Peru said Thursday they are investigating what caused the deaths of nearly 900 dolphins that have washed up on its northern coast over the past four months.

Authorities said they suspect a virus may be responsible, but are awaiting test results to know whether they can rule out environmental pollution or other factors in the deaths of the marine mammals.

?So far that?s the most likely hypothesis,? Deputy Environment Minister Gabriel Quijandria told local radio.

Ninety-five per cent of the deaths affected bottlenosed dolphins, which since January have washed up along a 170-kilometer stretch of coastline...

 

[Emily]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - nearly 900 dead

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - nearly 900 dead

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/perus-dolphin-die-off

Thousands of dolphins may have died in Peru's massive die-off; cause could remain mystery

When a retired fisherman called to report that about 1,500 dolphins had washed up dead on Peru?s northern coast, veterinarian Carlos Yaip?n?s first reaction was, ?That?s impossible.? But when Yaip?n traveled up the coast last week, he counted 615 dead dolphins along a 135-kilometer stretch of coastline. Now, the death toll could be as high as 2,800, based on volunteers? counts. Peru's massive dolphin die-off is among the largest ever reported worldwide.
[snip]
All of the 20 or so animals Yaip?n has examined showed middle-ear hemorrhage and fracture of the ear's periotic bone, lung lesions and bubbles in the blood. To him, that suggests that a major acoustic impact caused injury, but not immediate death. Most of the dolphins apparently were alive when they beached, or had died very recently.

?The animal would become disoriented, would have intense pain, and would have to make a great effort to breathe,? he said of the injuries.

Other experts say there is not enough evidence to draw a conclusion....

(Though the only expert so far reported to have examined some of the dead dolphins is Dr. Yaip?n.)

Although there has been more analysis of the impact of sonar than seismic testing, studies have linked loud ocean noises to ear and organ damage in marine mammals. Sounds can also change behaviors such as dive patterns ? which can result in decompression sickness or ?the bends? ? or drive them closer to shore, where they could beach if they were disoriented.

?Lots of sound in the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to mass stranding,? Jasny said.

Environmental groups have gone to court several times to challenge the U.S. Navy?s use of sonar in military exercises, arguing that it can change marine mammal behavior and lead to strandings. There has been no information available on whether sonar has been used off Peru?s coast.

press release

April 11, 2012, 5:36 p.m. EDT
BPZ Energy Issues Statement on Dolphins in Peru and Reaffirms Corporate and Social Responsibility Commitment
HOUSTON, Apr 11, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- BPZ Energy BPZ +8.53% (bvl:BPZ) an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, today issued clarifying comments as a result of recent inquiries received regarding its offshore seismic activity and its possible relation to reported dolphin deaths in Peru. The Company also reaffirmed its commitment to good corporate citizenship in all matters, including social, community and environmental affairs.

BPZ Energy operations in Tumbes are located 500 km north of Lambayeque where dolphin deaths have been reported. These deaths were first reported before the Company began its seismic survey in the Tumbes waters on February 8....

They are not the only operation active off the coast of Peru, though, and as mentioned above, information about sonar use in the area is unavailable.

Dolphins Dying by the Thousands in Peru ? Seismic Surveys by Oil Companies and Pollution Suspected

 

[Emily]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

Mystery over Dolphin Deaths Deepens in Peru, Government Blamed for Delay

Published May 09, 2012

Fox News Latino
[snip]
Because the dolphins were so decomposed, Hung said, it was impossible to rule out a theory promoted by the sea mammal conservation group Orca, which initially publicized the dolphin die-off. Its director, Carlos Yaipen, says he believes the cetaceans were killed by shock waves generated by acoustic "explosions" used to test the sea bed for oil deposits.

Yaipen told a congressional hearing Tuesday the ORCA did 30 autopsies of dolphins found along a 80-mile (130-kilometer) stretch of coastline, receiving the first batch on Feb. 12, and found broken bones in their ears, internal hemorrhages and collapsed livers.

"In microscopic exams we found fatty tissue with a great quantity of surrounding bubbles and hemorrhages. This happens when there is a strong sound in the fatty tissue, in the mandibular fat where sounds are received," he said.

The government agency in charge of the investigation, the Peruvian Sea Institute, or IMARPE, did not provide an explanation for the delay in obtaining dolphin samples for testing.

"At the moment I have no answer," agency spokesman Vicente Palomino said Tuesday.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/li...th-government-blamed-for-delay/#ixzz1uVv4Qo2Z

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

Here is our thread on the pelican die-off in the same area:

Peru Pelican Mass Die-Off To Be Investigated

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=453063#post453063

 

[Tonka]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325075#ixzz1vGBHwE8A

Mass dolphin deaths in Peru caused by acoustic trauma
LIKE THIS ARTICLE47
Candace
By Candace Calloway Whiting
May 17, 2012 in Environment
6 comments

+
Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos of ORCA in Peru informed Hardy Jones of Blue Voice that acoustical trauma is the cause of the Mass Mortality Event (MME) that killed an estimated one thousand dolphins along the coast of northern Peru in March 2012.

Update 5/18/12 : Dynamite has been ruled out as a possible cause (via Hardy Jones)

 

[Emily]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

Peru agency says cause of dolphin deaths unsolved

Tuesday's final report by the Sea Institute ruled out viral and bacterial infections, human intervention, pesticides or heavy metals as causes for the deaths, which were first noticed on Feb. 7 and continued through mid-April. It speculated that biotoxins, algae blooms, or an unknown emerging disease could be to blame.

The Peruvian environmental group Orca, which first alerted the public to the deaths, insists that seismic testing used in oil exploration was likely the cause..

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/05/22/2115432/peru-agency-says-cause-of-dolphin.html#storylink=cpy

This could be the reason that the government institute did not find evidence of acoustic trauma:

Several leading Peruvian scientists complained that the government agency was late in gathering samples, making it harder to determine the cause of death because the tissue tested was so badly decomposed.

 

[Vibrant62]

Re: "Horrific" dolphin mortality north coast of Peru - at least 2800 estimated dead

This blog article may provide some insight as to a potential cause, although the its hard to imagine the size of an accoustic shock large enough to cause such devastation.

http://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/the-effects-of-seismic-air-guns-on-marine-animals/