Whales & dolphins mysteriously washing ashore sparks concerns

An increase in marine mammals stranding was recorded along the Maharashtra coastline in 2020-2021; 109 incidents of stranding were recorded, of which 27 animals washed ashore dead.

Mumbai: The mysterious occurrence of whales and dolphins washing ashore has prompted concerns about potential environmental threats or disruptions affecting marine life, prompting the Mumbai-headquartered Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to come out with a series of initiatives.

The BNHS team of marine biologists feels that such incidents can be prevented through a participatory network. “This needs to have a consultation with several stakeholders working on the west coast,” BNHS Director Kishor Rithe said.

"There have been some attempts to rescue these ocean giants and release them back into the sea waters. These attempts have mostly failed and most of the marine animals have died. It led to the constructive actions that there should be a SOP/protocol for the rescue of such marine animals. There is also a need to create awareness, networks and trained teams which include experts to execute any such rescue operations. This also includes availability of equipment including trained personnel,” he said.

The BNHS has compiled reports of incidents on the West coast of India.

There has been an increase in marine mammal stranding recorded along the Maharashtra coastline in 2020-2021.

109 incidents of stranding were recorded, of which 27 animals washed ashore dead.

Also in November 2023, a 35-foot baby blue whale that was stranded on a shore in Maharashtra was found. It was returned to the waters after 40 hours.

In February 2021, a moderate-sized, nearly 10-foot-long dead false killer whale washed ashore at Mogaveera Patna, Karnataka. This was the first time that there was a report of a false killer whale getting stranded in Karnataka.

In August 2015, decomposed remains of a whale were found at Malpe beach. Locals who spotted the dead whale thought it must have died due to serious injuries it must have suffered after getting hit by a ship. In September 2016, a 47-foot-long blue whale was rescued from a beach in Maharashtra and successfully put back in deep waters. The whale, weighing around 20 tonnes, had drifted into shallow waters, and washed ashore near Madban village, close to Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Ratnagiri district. It was emaciated and must have drifted to the shore.

Again in October 2016 a decomposed carcass of a 35-foot-long blue whale, the largest mammal in the world, washed ashore at Guhagar beach in Ratnagiri district. This is the second such incident in the state within a month’s span and the fourth case in 2016.

In another such case in 2021, a whale washed ashore on a beach in Mumbai, a whale which was around 40 feet long and weighing 30,000 kg, washed ashore in Maharashtra’s city, Palghar. The whale washed up dead on the remote Mardes Beach in Maharashtra`s Vasai and gathered a lot of attention due to its mammoth size. That whale carcass weighing over 30 tonnes, washed up from the Arabian Sea.