Whale deaths a puzzle
James C. McKinley Jr.
El Universal Online, Mexico
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Federal authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of eight whales found washed ashore along the Sea of Cortés last month, an unusually large number that suggests someone or something is killing them off.
The whales come from several plankton-eating species and apparently died at sea in November and December, biologists said. But they do not show signs of having been caught in long-line fishing nets, which sometimes suffocate them. Nor have biologists found any signs of a toxic spill or outbreak of disease that would account for their deaths.
"Right now, it´s a mystery," said Luis Fueyo, assistant federal prosecutor for environmental crimes, who is overseeing the investigation. "We have a puzzle."The first sign something was wrong came on Jan. 4, when the remains of two humpback whales were spotted on the shore near the town of El Dorado in Sinaloa.
Scientists determined they had died in early November. Since then, six more giant bodies have turned up, among them a third humpback, a minke whale, a fin whale and a baby gray whale. Three bodies were discovered on Jan. 18 during an aerial search of the Sinaloa coast.
feb 19, 2006
James C. McKinley Jr.
El Universal Online, Mexico
___________________
Federal authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths of eight whales found washed ashore along the Sea of Cortés last month, an unusually large number that suggests someone or something is killing them off.
The whales come from several plankton-eating species and apparently died at sea in November and December, biologists said. But they do not show signs of having been caught in long-line fishing nets, which sometimes suffocate them. Nor have biologists found any signs of a toxic spill or outbreak of disease that would account for their deaths.
"Right now, it´s a mystery," said Luis Fueyo, assistant federal prosecutor for environmental crimes, who is overseeing the investigation. "We have a puzzle."The first sign something was wrong came on Jan. 4, when the remains of two humpback whales were spotted on the shore near the town of El Dorado in Sinaloa.
Scientists determined they had died in early November. Since then, six more giant bodies have turned up, among them a third humpback, a minke whale, a fin whale and a baby gray whale. Three bodies were discovered on Jan. 18 during an aerial search of the Sinaloa coast.
feb 19, 2006
