Deaths of 3,000 Dolphins Blamed On Sonar Blasts From Oil Firms Exploring Sea Bed

Published on April 18, 2012 by admin · No Comments

The deaths of thousands of dolphins washed up on beaches in Peru may have been caused by acoustic testing offshore by oil companies, conservationists have warned.

Nearly 3,000 of the mammals are thought to have died this year so far, with 615 counted by conservationists along a 90-mile stretch of beaches near the city of Lambayeque on Wednesday.

Scientists in Peru are exploring the possibility the deaths were caused by sonar blasts used by firms to find oil under the sea. The method can damage dolphins’ ears and cause disorientation and internal bleeding, experts warn.

Concerned: Conservationists in Peru counted 615 dead dolphins<br />
along a 90-mile stretch of beaches on Wednesday

Concerned: Conservationists in Peru counted 615 dead dolphins along a 90-mile stretch of beaches on Wednesday

ORCA Peru expert, veterinarian Carlos Yaipen Llanos said that while ‘we have no definitive evidence’, he suspects the cause of death is a ‘marine bubble’, which occurs during mining exploration.

The bubbles are not visible to the naked eye but they can have an effect on dolphins, sea lions, and whales.

Head of conservation group BlueVoice.org Hardy Jones told MSNBC: ‘It is a horrifying thought that these dolphins would die in agony over a prolonged period if they were impacted by sonic blast.’

Earlier this year federal regulators in the U.S. suspended similar testing in the Gulf of Mexico following sightings of dead and sick dolphins.