Whale strandings on the rise - is human activity to blame? Whale strandings on the rise - is human activity to blame?   

Tim Barlass 

A female humpback whale lies prostrate stranded at Byron Bay. For 15 hours, a team of rescuers tried to save it. Their efforts were in vain. 

Craig Parry who captured the winning photograph from a drone in the Human Connection category of the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum says the rescue effort was distressing to observe.

“While the outcome was heartbreaking, witnessing the collaboration and compassion shown was incredibly moving – a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when people come together,” he said.

But are whale strandings on the increase? A recent Scottish study certainly indicates that the case. We asked some key experts for their experiences and views. 

Dr Claire Madden, who specialises in Australian wildlife medicine, attended the humpback at Byron Bay, which, with nearby Lennox Head, has gained a reputation as a stranding hotspot. 

Dr Madden remains unclear why the whale stranded though, as she notes, it was showing “normal stranding abnormalities”, such as muscle damage, stress and the build-up of lactic acid. 

“What's particularly interesting about that Lennox, Heads/Byron Bay region is it's a real hot spot for strandings. It's a deep region of our ocean floors and it's quite close to our East Australian Current. There are some theories that the landscape of the ocean around that northern New South Wales area leads animals to make silly decisions where there's not much margin for error.”

Some animals exhibit unusual behaviour ahead of a stranding.  “A very recent example is we had a beautiful pantropical spotted dolphin strand near Lennox Head in this hot spot. Members of the public reported that the animal was swimming in a circle before it stranded. They re-floated the dolphin, and it continued to swim in a circle and then stranded.

“I would say we are seeing strandings more frequently and I think it's due to two reasons happening in parallel. I think our environment is degrading and we're putting more pressure on our oceans and in parallel to that we've got more eyes on the water; we've got drones, and people are more likely to call in to report a stranding whereas decades ago they probably wouldn't have.”

Emma Neave-Webb is strandings coordinator on the International Whaling Commission and conservation officer with the Orkney Marine Mammal Research Initiative in Scotland. The IWC sees animals that strand for entirely natural reasons, if they are sick, injured, or old.

But humans do play a part.  “We do see anthropogenic (human-induced) causes as well, whether that be bycatch - we investigate animals that wash up dead and we can see the signs that they've been caught in a net, they've died and when the nets are pulled up they're thrown overboard and then wash up.
 

“Entanglement is quite a serious issue now, but there's a lot of work going on with disturbance, things like noise and climate change. Animals are being pushed into areas that they're not familiar with because sea temperatures are rising, their food source is moving, and that perhaps is bringing them into conflict with humans.

“We have a big project here in Scotland called the Scottish Entanglement Alliance because entanglement of large whales in Creole lobster pot lines is quite problematic. If we push through legislation and force it upon the fishermen, it will alienate them and then they won't report what's happening.”

A scientific paper released in August, citing 30 years of stranding data from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS)], showed an increase across every species. 

But there’s nothing new about stranding. It goes back to Neolithic times. “You look back into the fossil record there's evidence of whales stranding,” says Neave-Webb. “Even in the archaeological record with Neolithic man [7000 BC - 1700 BC], there's evidence of animal stranding. It has always happened.”

But more needs to be done to understand how human activity is affecting strandings, says the Australian National Maritime Museum’s acting head of knowledge, Emily Jateff.

“The important thing is that most scientists tend to agree that many strandings aren’t caused by natural causes. Why don’t we have these answers?  It is either due not enough funding or not enough time devoted to the necessary research.” 

Kris Carlyon wildlife biologist with the environment department of the Tasmanian Government, has been involved for 17 years with mass stranding of pilot whales on the island’s west coast.

“We tend to see a significant event in most years, although prior to the big one in 2020 when we were successful in releasing 114 pilot whales out of 470 that stranded,” he said.

“We hadn't seen a mass stranding event in the 10 years prior but we've certainly had some significant events post 2020. We had a repeat event on the west coast with pilot whales in 2022 that was on exactly the same date as the 2020 event, on 21 September. There's probably some seasonal factor that's brought them close in to shore and put them at risk of stranding at that particular time of year.”

Marine biologist Samantha Hillman, former second vice president with the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) and on the IWC Stranding Committee,  set up a rescue, rehab and release facility in South Korea for the narrow ridged finless porpoise.

She says the rise in waste plastic is a likely factor. “Animals can mistake plastic as a food source,” she said. “In 2013 I attended a single Rissos dolphin stranding in Kurnell, south of Sydney, which is a highly social animal. It was in incredibly bad condition and underweight. Unfortunately, we had to euthanise it and the necropsy showed it had ingested a lot of plastic to the point where nothing was shifting in the stomach. It could no longer eat.”

Vanessa Pirotta is a Sydney-based marine scientist who is often seen commentating on whale strandings on national and international media. She is author of the book Humpback Highway and currently writing a paper with other experts around the world relating to strandings.

She said: “The humpback in the Ocean Photographer of the Year image probably stranded as a result of illness or some underlying issue. With pilot whales which are very social and communal animals, there is a follow-the-leader scenario, which means that if one is ill or disorientated, they have the potential to run aground the whole pod.

“The humpback whale population on the east coast is recovering quite well, there’s likely to be a huge number of 50,000 plus whales in our waters from time to time and some will die and you may see some end up on the beach.

“Potentially we can't discount the fact that humans have a huge footprint in the ocean. In fact one of my thesis papers was talking about ‘marine roads’, looking at the impact of vessel traffic on whales both adjacent to the vessel and beyond.” 

“The right thing to do is not to touch it because these animals carry disease and the other thing would be not to enter the water and to give the animal space,” Pirotta says.

“The next thing would be to let environmental authorities know, if it's in New South Wales that would be New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and ORRCA.

Whale strandings are complex and often tragic, but understanding the causes can help us protect these magnificent creatures. If you encounter a stranded whale, remember: keep your distance and call the experts.”

To report a whale stranding in NSW, call the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service on 1300 072 757 or the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) on 02 9415 3333. ORRCA's hotline is a 24/7 rescue number that is specifically for marine mammal emergencies like strandings.