Yet another southern-right whale has been found dead, this time in Sopiesklip, bringing the total number of deaths to four since the start of whale season. While the death toll is not particularly concerning, ship strikes as cause of death this year alone have been quite influential.

A 6-metre female southern-right whale calf was found dead on Sunday near Sopies-
klip in Hermanus.

The Whale Unit and the South African National Stranding Network have subsequently collected samples and are investigating the possible cause of death, with further analysis still ongoing.

With assistance from the Southern Right Charters the team collected a range of biological samples and measurements and examined the dead whale for evidence that could help determine the possible cause of death.

No cause had been confirmed at the time of going to press and further analyses were still under way.

More whales, more strandings

With the whale festival set to kick off in October many locals and tourists will be treated to a range of baleen whales among others.

And while whale season will feature more whales making their majestic presence it also brings more dead whales ashore.

However, Dr Loraine Shuttleworth of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) and Marine Dynamics said the current number of deaths was no cause for concern. Furthermore, she explained, during the whale season “an increased presence means that [there will be] an increased section of [deceased] strandings.

However, the number of whales that have died this year due to ship strikes has been more common than previous years. Earlier this month an older female whale was found dead near Dyer Island and a younger (calf) was found just days later. DICT has since confirmed with Hermanus Times that the whales were mother and calf.

The mother was fatally hit by a ship strike, which subsequently led to the death and stranding of the calf due to its inability to take care of itself as it was not mature enough to do so. According to Shuttleworth these deaths can theoretically be grouped to the impact of ship strikes.

“Earlier this year we also had two Brydes whales that stranded because of ship strikes and that is quite abnormal for our area. We don’t often see ship strikes at all, so having three, four or multiple in one year or a couple of months is really quite unusual.” While not definitive or proven, it is possible that the increase in ship strike fatalities could be due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Complicated shipping routes

But understanding the impact and influence of shipping in marine life is a bit more complicated, according to Shuttleworth.

While the first instinct when attempting to ease the impact of ship strikes on the whales would be to redirect routes, “we don’t really have the data for the offshore species”.

Therefore, while this would protect the more offshore whales (eg the baleen whales) it may negatively impact other whales further from the shore.

So, as Shuttleworth noted, it is quite a challenge, and ship traffic cannot just be redirected. However, there is an International Whaling Commission, “which is in charge of global research and there is a whole lot of contributers.

“All this data [collected from] the strandings gets sent to them. There is a specific theme and working group working on vessel conditions with a special focus now on South Africa. So it is being looked at, but it is a bit of a process.”