Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time

Investigation of 2008 melon-headed whale stranding in Madagascar conducted by independent review panel

2013-09-26

(Press-News.org) An independent scientific review panel has concluded that the mass stranding of approximately 100 melon-headed whales in the Loza Lagoon system in northwest Madagascar in 2008 was primarily triggered by acoustic stimuli, more specifically, a multi-beam echosounder system operated by a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production (Northern Madagascar) Limited.

In response to the event and with assistance from IFAW, WCS led an international stranding team to help return live whales from the lagoon system to the open sea, and to conduct necropsies on dead whales to determine the cause of death.

According to the final report issued today, this is the first known marine mammal mass stranding event of this nature to be closely associated with high-frequency mapping sonar systems. Based on these findings, there is cause for concern over the impact of noise on marine mammals as these high-frequency mapping sonar systems are used by various stakeholders including the hydrocarbon industry, military, and research vessels used by other industries.

The report concluded: "The potential for behavioral responses and indirect injury or mortality from the use of similar MBES [multi-beam echosounder systems] should be considered in future environmental assessments, operational planning and regulatory decisions."

The full report can be found at: http://iwc.int/index.php?cID=454&cType=html

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) welcomed the report and praised all those involved in the process, including governments, NGOs, and industry.

"WCS and IFAW support these conclusions that add to a mounting body of evidence of the potential impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of the Ocean Giants Program for WCS. "Implications go well beyond the hydrocarbon industry, as these sonar systems are widely used aboard military and research vessels for generating more precise bathymetry (underwater mapping). We now hope that these results will be used by industry, regulatory authorities, and others to minimize risks and to better protect marine life, especially marine mammal species that are particularly sensitive to increasing ocean noise from human activities. "

Added Dr. John G. Robinson, Executive Vice President for Conservation and Science for WCS: "We greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S. government agencies and authorities and the International Whaling Commission for facilitating and overseeing this process, and we are particularly grateful to the Government of Madagascar for authorizing this work and their continued interest in the outcome. Understanding what causes mass strandings of marine mammals is critical to prevent this in the future. In this case, the cooperation by industry, conservation organizations, and government regulatory authorities led to best science being evaluated by an independent panel, which came up with conclusion based on weight of considerable evidence made available."

"Mass stranding response is challenging under the best of circumstances. Together with local individuals and the government of Madagascar, we provided the expertise to rescue as many animals as possible and medical care to those that stranded alive," said Katie Moore, Director of Animal Rescue at IFAW. "Equally important was to gather as much data as possible from the animals to address the root cause of the stranding. We are pleased to see the ISRP report and its conclusions, which will hopefully be used in shaping future conservation policies."

The report was written after a formalized process was established to investigate the mass stranding. The process was undertaken with endorsement of the Government of Madagascar. Several have contributed to this report including organizations involved in the mass stranding response effort, the International Whaling Commission, and several relevant U.S. federal agencies.

A multi-stakeholder steering committee was established to provide guidance in setting up and structuring the review panel and to ensure completion of the process and public release of the report. Those on this steering committee included: Dr. Howard Rosenbaum (WCS); Dr. Rodger Melton and Dr. Linda Zimmerman (ExxonMobil); Dr. Teri Rowles (NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding Network); Dr. Jason Gedamke (NOAA Ocean Acoustics Program); Dr. Peter Thomas (Marine Mammal Commission); Jill Lewandowski (BOEM); Dr. Greg Donovan (IWC); Dr. Brandon Southall (SEA), also head of the independent scientific review panel.

The panel consisted of: Brandon L. Southall, Ph.D.; Teri Rowles, D.V.M., Ph.D.; Frances Gulland, Vet. MB., Ph.D., MRCVS; Robin W. Baird, Ph.D.; and Paul D. Jepson, DVM, Ph.D., Dip.ECZM.

While aspects of the stranding remain unknown, the panel concluded that a multi-beam echosounder system, operated intermittently by a survey vessel moving down the shelf-break the day before the event was the most "plausible and likely behavioral trigger for the animals initially entering the lagoon system."

INFORMATION:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Restricting antibiotics could be key to fighting 'superbug'

2013-09-26

New ways are needed to fight the infection Clostridium difficile and better use of antibiotics could be key, according to the authors of ground-breaking research. In a unique United Kingdom study, the team from the University of Leeds, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and Oxford University, mapped all cases of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) in Oxfordshire over a three-year period (2008 to 2011). C. diff causes severe diarrhoea, cramps and sometimes life-threatening complications, and has traditionally been thought to be transmitted within hospitals from other sick ...

Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors serious problems in the US, says new report

2013-09-26

WASHINGTON -- Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are serious problems in the United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a whole, and federal agencies should work with state and local partners to raise awareness of these issues and train professionals who work with youths to recognize and assist those who are victimized or at risk, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Minors who are prostituted or sexually exploited in other ways should be treated as victims rather ...

Intensity modulated proton therapy reduces need for feeding tubes by 50 percent

2013-09-26

ATLANTA, GA – A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center found that the use of feeding tubes in oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) cancer patients treated with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) decreased by more than 50 percent compared to patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This suggests that proton therapy may offer vital quality of life benefits for patients with tumors occurring at the back of the throat. The results, presented today by the lead researcher, Steven J. Frank, M.D., associate ...

Astronomers uncover a 'transformer' pulsar

2013-09-26

VIDEO: A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits pulses of radiation (such as X-rays and radio waves) at regular intervals. A millisecond pulsar is one with a rotational... Click here for more information. An international team of scientists using a fleet of orbiting X-ray telescopes, including NASA's Swift and Chandra X-ray Observatory, has discovered a millisecond pulsar with a dual identity. In a feat that has never before been observed, the star readily shifts ...

Innovations save lives of mothers and children

2013-09-26

Ten health care innovations, if brought to scale immediately in low-resource countries, could have the potential to save the lives of some 1.2 million mothers and children in 2015. Right now the annual global death toll of mothers and children under 5 is 6.9 million. Between 2016-2020, these innovations have the potential to save the lives of nearly 7.5 million women and children. The ten, identified by international experts from hundreds of candidates, are ready to be deployed where they are needed most by the end of 2015, according to a new publication, Breakthrough ...

Seeing the forest and the trees

2013-09-26

Ever wonder what plants do when you're not around? How about an entire forest or grassland? Not even the most dedicated plant researcher can be continuously present to track environmental effects on plant behavior, and so numerous tools have been developed to measure and quantify these effects. Time-lapse photography has been used to study many aspects of plant behavior, but typically only a few plants can be captured with a single camera at the desired level of detail. This limitation has, for the most part, confined such observations to the laboratory. Recently, however, ...

New 'Smart Rounds' improves safety of radiation therapy

2013-09-26

ATLANTA, GA – The North Shore-LIJ Health System Department of Radiation Medicine has developed a novel process to optimize the safety and efficacy of radiation therapy and is presenting this data at the 55th Annual Meeting of in American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Atlanta, GA. At most hospitals, when a patient is treated with radiation therapy, the treatment plan is usually quickly and superficially reviewed by other physicians immediately after treatment begins, leaving no time to catch errors or provide feedback on a complex treatment. Review at this late ...

Do elite 'power sport' athletes have a genetic advantage?

2013-09-26

Philadelphia, Pa. (September 25, 2013) - A specific gene variant is more frequent among elite athletes in power sports, reports a study in the October issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. A "functional polymorphism" of the angiotensiogen (AGT) gene is two to three times more common in elite power athletes, compared to nonathletes or even elite endurance athletes, according ...

Family Resiliency Center helps study how food-bank clients afford basic non-food items

2013-09-26

URBANA, Ill. – Many families struggle to afford basic non-food household goods, such as personal care, household, and baby-care products, according to a new nationwide Feed America study that benefited from assistance from the University of Illinois Family Resiliency Center (FRC). "The study found that these families often make trade-offs with other living expenses and employ coping strategies in an effort to secure such essential household items as toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, or disposable diapers," said Barbara H. Fiese, FRC director and Pampered Chef Endowed Chair. ...

Fat grafting helps patients with scarring problems, reports

2013-09-26

Philadelphia, Pa. (September 24, 2013) - Millions of people with scars suffer from pain, discomfort, and inability to perform regular activities. Some may have to revert to addicting pain medicine to get rid of their ailments. Now, and with a new methodology, such problems can be treated successfully. A technique using injection of the patient's own fat cells is an effective treatment for hard, contracted scars resulting from burns or other causes, reports a study in the September issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, edited by Mutaz B. Habal, MD, FRCSC, and published ...

Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: