NEW TAIPEI CITY – Taiwanese volunteers gathered around a large inflatable whale as they learnt how to help beached sea mammals – an increasingly common sight across the island.
More than 100 dolphins and whales now wash up on Taiwan’s beaches every year, a sharp rise over the past decade, according to researchers.
After spotting a beached mammal, volunteers at a recent training run by the Taiwan Cetacean Society (TCS) were told, they should not push the mammals back into the sea but immediately call the coast guard with their precise location.
The coast guard works with groups like TCS in emergency operations that often include trained volunteers.
TCS secretary-general Tseng Cheng-tsung said he gradually developed “a sense of mission” after participating in multiple rescues, which inspired him to get a master’s degree in marine biology.
“Many people like to get close to nature and protect it,” he said.
Saleswoman Joanna Hung, 36, joined the training after seeing “rather bloody footage” of a plastic straw being pulled out of the nose of a rescued turtle.
“If we hadn’t come to (this) class, we would act on our own ideas which may cause more harm if we don’t have the right knowledge,” she told AFP.
“I want to try my best to help them survive.”
Marine military activity
Taiwan began reporting an uptick of stranded animals around 2016, when 90 were found ashore, a jump from a few dozen in previous years, said Professor Yang Wei-cheng, an expert on cetacean conservation from National Taiwan University.
He pointed to environmental changes such as the rise of sea surface temperature and human activities that cause noise and other pollution as reasons for the increase.
Dr Lindsay Porter, vice-chair of the International Whaling Commission’s scientific committee, said the most common cause of death for all cetacean species worldwide is bycatch, the accidental capture of marine life by fishing gear such as nets and fishing hooks.
“Stranding numbers may increase if fishing practices change,” she said, explaining that coastal construction projects could “cause fishing vessels to abandon those areas” and move to new spots.
Dr Porter added that increasing underwater noise, such as from marine military activity, could also be a factor.
“Noise levels associated with marine military activity can be particularly loud and intense and have been shown elsewhere to cause mortality as well as hearing impairment in cetaceans,” she said.
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 16:24:00
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