Agencies respond to pilot whale stranding at St. Catherines
Scientists are performing necropsies on the dead whales found on privately owned St. Catherines Island roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Savannah for any clues to why the animals may have come ashore, said Clay George, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
"It's too early to say anything about the findings," George said in a phone interview.
He said the beached whales on St. Catherines Island were discovered Wednesday morning by a group of volunteers checking sea turtle nests for hatchlings. Others were found on beaches and marshes nearby.
About 26 total pilot whales were spotted in the area, George said, and crews were searching the nearby waters for signs of any more strandings.
It's been just over two months since at least 47 pilot whales swam perilously close the shore on St. Simons Island, where beachgoers scrambled into the water in an effort to nudge the confused whales back toward the open ocean. Three of those whales died.
Pilot whales are members of the dolphin family and can grow up to 20 feet (6 meters) long and weigh as much as 3 tons (2.7 metric tons). Though they typically live about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from shore, pilot whales are often involved in mass strandings, partly due to their social nature, according to the American Cetacean Society.
George said the beached whales discovered Wednesday are "clearly not related to" any adverse effects from a capsized cargo ship that remains in the water after it overturned departing the Port of Brunswick on Sept. 8.
Authorities say oil from the ship has reached several parts of Georgia's shoreline, leaving a sheen in marshes and oiled debris on beaches. But George noted the site is at least 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where the pilot whales stranded.
Sources: AP
Reader Comments
to our Newsletter