DADADEL
Scientists made a startling discovery when a dead sperm whale washed ashore in Hawaii in February 2023. During the examination, they found its stomach filled with nets and plastic debris.
The whale carcass was found on January 27 at Lydgate Park. Heavy machinery was utilized to move it to the beach, where researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Health and Stranding Lab spent 15 hours examining it to determine the cause of death, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources on Facebook.
A significant discovery, noted by Dr. Kristi West, the director of the health and stranding lab, was “the number of manufactured items in the whale’s stomach.”
West mentioned that this was the first instance of a sperm whale in Hawaiian waters exhibiting “this type of ingestion of discarded fishing gear and nets.”
Edward “Luna” Kekoa, Recreational Fisheries Program Manager with the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, stated that the discovery should make people reconsider discarding marine debris into the ocean. Since sperm whales travel thousands of miles, there’s no way to determine the origin of the items, according to the DLNR.
“These man-made items persist in the ocean for a very long time, and we hope we can learn from this,” Kekoa said in the DLNR statement. “Every few days we hear about another whale, or dolphin, turtle, or monk seal entangled in fishing gear or lines. At an absolute minimum, let’s prevent any more gear, plastic bags, and other items from getting into the system.”
This incident starkly highlights the ongoing threat that millions of tons of plastic waste pose to marine life. The presence of such debris in the whale’s stomach underscores the urgent need for global action to reduce plastic pollution and protect our oceans. This tragic find serves as a grim reminder of the environmental impact of human activities on marine ecosystems.
