Pakistan Whale Shark's Death a Mystery

Video of a dead whale shark being pulled from the sea off of Pakistan raises more questions about the school-bus-size fish's demise than it answers, scientists say.

Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune posted video on Tuesday (Feb. 7) of a crane hauling a whale shark carcass onto a pier in Karachi. According to the newspaper, the owner of the nearby Charai Fishery, spotted the animal floating "unconscious" 10 days earlier, 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the fishery. 

But sharks don't fall unconscious, said Bob Hueter, the director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. And if they stop swimming for any reason, they aren't likely to bob along with the currents.

"If and when they die, they don't float, they sink," Hueter told LiveScience. "So to have one just kind of wash up is very rare. I can only think of a few cases over the years around the world where this is happened."

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/18376-pakistan-whale-shark.html

Seal deaths rise to 128; scientist cites toxins

RYE — The number of dead seals washed up on the New England coast is not the only thing expanding, a spokeswoman from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. The area in which the seals are showing up is also increasing.

Maggie Mooney-Seus, a public affairs official for NOAA's Northeast Region, said the number of dead seals found along the shoreline since Sept. 1 is now at 128. Last Friday, the figure was 94.

"The distribution of where they're showing up is expanding," she said.

Seals were first found on shores from northern Massachusetts to southern Maine. But Mooney-Seus said more seals are now being found in southern Massachusetts. All are considered to be "young of the year," she said.

Mooney-Seus continued to emphasize the importance of leaving the carcasses alone. She said people should not approach or touch any marine animals, dead or alive. Disturbing a seal, or the carcass of a seal, is a federal violation and can lead to a hefty fine or jail time, she said.

In addition, people should try to keep their pets, namely dogs, away from seals and seal carcasses. Mooney-Seus said there is potential for a domestic animal to contract a virus from a seal.

"I encourage people to keep a safe distance," she said.

The cause of the surge in seal deaths has not yet been named. Mooney-Seus said results won't be known until test results on blood, tissue samples and the contents of the seals' stomachs come back.

At least one expert said the cause of the seal deaths has less to do with pathogens in the animals and more to do with contaminants in the water.

Dr. Susan Shaw, director and senior scientist at The Marine Environmental Research Institute in Maine, has been investigating Gulf of Maine harbor seals and their exposure to toxic contaminants for almost two decades.

Shaw said her findings have shown that polychlorinated biphenyls, flame retardants, dioxins and other persistent pollutants found in seal tissue could be compromising their immune systems.

The problem, according to Shaw, is that tests to identify contaminants aren't performed right away — and often not at all — because of the cost of conducting such tests.

"The role of contaminants as a factor should be at the front of the list," she said. "But these studies take longer and can cost more."

Having done her own tests on harbor seals over the years, Shaw said the ones found off the New England coast are the most contaminated in the world. Shaw is not involved in the current testing and said she compared her past results with testing done on the West Coast and in Europe.

"These seals are loaded with hundreds of toxic compounds," Shaw said.

The contaminants are man-made and often find ways of seeping into the ground and into rivers and streams, eventually finding a way into the ocean, she said.

Shaw said there have been many "die-offs" over the years. She said they go unexplained often because the proper testing for contaminants is not done.

"I believe that contaminants need to have a role in these studies," Shaw said.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111019/NEWS/110190372/-1/NEWSMAP

'Corkscrew' seal deaths probed

15 August 2010

The mysterious deaths of more than 30 seals washed up along the east coast of Scotland and England in the past two years are being investigated.

Each of the carcasses had a single, smooth-edged cut which started at the head and spiralled around the body.

Experts said it was not known what had caused the "corkscrew" injuries, which were not consistent with fishing nets or boat propellers.

Members of the public who spot a seal carcass have been urged to report it.

Seven seals have been found with the corkscrew wounds - which affect both common and grey seals - in St Andrew Bay and the Firth of Forth in the past two months.

Six similar incidents in the same areas in 2008 and 2009 have since been uncovered.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

It is critical that we establish the cause of these strange seal deaths and do all we can to protect our seal populations”

End Quote Richard Lochhead Scottish environment secretary

In addition, four incidents were reported in Norfolk in July, part of 20 such occurrences in that area over the past year.

Similar unsolved seal mortalities have also been reported off the Atlantic coast of Canada over the past decade.

Scotland's Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has asked scientists at the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews to investigate the potential cause of the seals' deaths.

He said: "Seals form an important part of Scotland's rich marine environment and it is critical that we establish the cause of these strange seal deaths and do all we can to protect our seal populations, particularly as numbers have reduced in recent years.

"I would encourage any member of the public who encounters a seal carcass to contact the Sea Mammal Research Unit, which will help to establish the scale of these issues.

"The Scottish government has already taken decisive action to provide additional protection for the endangered common seals, as set out in our new Marine Act."
Significant declines

Professor Ian Boyd, director of the SMRU, said it was important to establish how the seals died, and how widespread the problem might be.

He added: "This will inform any consideration of population impacts and potential mitigation.

"This investigation is important because these deaths come on top of significant declines observed in some Scottish common or harbour seal populations.

"SMRU welcomes any reports from the public of dead seals being washed ashore."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-10976201
(Submitted by Liz R)

Police probe after dead seals wash up in North Norfolk

13 August 2010

The deaths of 38 seals which washed up on the North Norfolk coast are being investigated by police.

The dead mammals, a mixture of common and grey seals, have been appearing on beaches in Blakeney, Morston and Wells since November.

The animals all suffered laceration-type injuries which are believed to have eventually caused their deaths.

Two seals have been the subject of post-mortem examinations, but the results are not yet known.

Insp Mike Brown, who is leading the investigation, said: "The seals have suffered awful injuries which we believe are the probable cause of death and there is no indication that these were caused by disease or any type of predator.

"We have been working closely with seal boat operators and local fishermen but we would like to hear from anyone else who may have information regarding these occurrences."

The National Trust, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the National Wildlife Crime Unit are among several other agencies helping police to try to discover what happened to the seals.

See video at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-10962076
(Submitted by Liz R)

Day later, mystery behind death of 58 crows unsolved

By Mehul Jani and Ruturaj Jadav
Posted On Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 02:21:12 AM

A day after 58 crows were found dead in Gandhinagar, their deaths still remain a mystery. The forest department had sent three carcasses to the Anand Government Laboratory for a detailed report.

The department was bewildered, when they came across 58 crows falling dead from a peepal tree at Sector 28 in Gandhinagar.

No abnormality has been found in the system of one of the carcasses during the post-mortem examination. However, the post-mortem report of the other two showed traces of infected food.

Superintendent of Kankaria Zoo Dr R K Sahu said, “Besides infected food, the birds could have dropped dead due to cold shock.”

“The mercury has plummeted in the past couple of days. This could result in cold shock, which causes blood circulation to stop, leading to death,” he added.

ANALA director Madhu Menon said, “Crows search for food in groups. As these crows have died at one spot within a few minutes, they might have eaten infected food or something poisonous.”

Conservationist Aditya Roy said, “One reason can be common disease or infection in this group. It has happened in the past in central India and south India. Huge number of vultures had died due to avian malaria in these two regions.”

Meanwhile, Conservator of Forest Anil Johri said, “We are waiting detailed reports from Anand to ascertain the reason behind the death of crows.”

Crows search for food in groups. As these crows have died at one spot within a few minutes, they might have eaten infected food or something poisonous

– Madhu Menon, ANALA director

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2010011720100117022112467e4266c83/Day-later-mystery-behind-death-of-58-crows-unsolved.html
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)

Cause of dolphin deaths not found

A report on the stranding of a pod of dolphins in Cornwall has found no definitive reason as to why they beached themselves.
The dolphins were found around the Percuil river in the Fal Estuary on 9 June 2008. All 26 later died. Some local people said they could have been scared by naval sonar.

A report for the Institute of Zoology said sonar activity took place "around the time" but there was no evidence it coincided with the stranding. The dolphins died when they became trapped in a number of creeks around the Percuil River in one of the UK's worst mass strandings.

They appeared to have been well fed and there were no obvious signs of disease or poisoning, post-mortem tests taken at the time showed. In its report for the Institute of Zoology, the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme said that "ultimately, a definitive cause for the MSE [mass stranding event] could not be determined". In the case of sonar use, the report said that "evidence of one or more specific naval activities that tightly coincided in time and space with the likely initial onset of the MSE were absent in all the records of naval activities released under the Freedom of Information Act".

The report also said an error of judgement by the dolphin pod could not be excluded as a factor.
It said: "An intrinsic 'error of navigation' within a social group of common dolphins, or a confluence of additional unknown (natural and/or anthropogenic) factors/sequence of events also cannot be excluded as causal factors in this MSE."

The report followed an investigation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

'Most probable trigger'

However, in its own report into the incident, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said that it believed that naval activity was considered "the most probable direct trigger". It said: "The naval exercise is the only known cause of high-intensity acoustic activities in the region of the mass stranding at that time.

"Having ruled-out other likely causes, (it) is considered the most probable direct trigger of the event, although it is impossible to reach a definite conclusion on the basis of the information received to date." The Royal Navy admitted at the time of the stranding it was carrying out training exercises with a submarine and survey ship using sonar in Falmouth Bay. But after the publications of the reports it said it did not believe the exercises were the cause because they were carried out about 60 hours before the dolphins were discovered.

http://news.bbc.co.uk:80/1/hi/england/cornwall/8102595.stm