3000 dead dolphins on Peruvian coast

In a small stretch of Peruvian coastline, more than 3000 dead dolphins have been found in the past 3 months. To make matters worse, the disturbing phenomenon seems to be increasing over time, and its cause is still not fully known. In the last few days of March alone, 481 individuals were found dead.

This turn of events has caused serious concern among local residents, who have begun to demand that the authorities explain the whole matter. Experts are still trying to identify the cause, but everyone’s guesses are pointing in one direction, with the oil industry and exploration of the surrounding oil fields as the main culprits.

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The portal peru21.pe reports that local fishermen in the village of Lambayeque, in the north of the country, were the first to notice that the situation was beginning to look dramatic. On average, around 30 animals a day are being thrown ashore dead.

Peruvian marine biologist Carlos Yaipen of the Scientific Organization for the Protection of Aquatic Animals believes that the oil exploration method used by oil companies is to blame. This is the detection of deposits using acoustic methods, which are so invasive that they lead to the death of representatives of local fauna.

[blockquote style=”2″]”Oil companies use different frequencies of acoustic waves, and the effects are not clearly visible immediately, but they generate side effects that later appear in animals. This can cause the death of not only dolphins, but also seals and whales.” – explains Yaipen[/blockquote].

In 2003, scientists from the London Zoological Society discovered that underwater sonar can lead to the formation of microscopic nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream and vital organs of aquatic mammals, causing a condition in the animals that we can most simply equate to decompression sickness. In addition, low acoustic sensors are suspected of causing disorientation and internal bleeding in these animals.

Peruvian authorities are currently trying to identify a company that may be responsible for the current state of affairs and the massive dolphin die-off. According to Offshore Magazine, at least one entity – Houston-based oil company BPZ Energy– has been actively exploring the seabed along Peru’s coast since the beginning of the year.

Unfortunately, the situation in Peru is not an isolated case. At the end of March 2019, we wrote about more than 1100 dead dolphins on French coast.

Source: treehugger.com
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