Fears grow for whale pod off Essex coast

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/20/whale-pod-essex-coast

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Essex police are investigating reports that local boat owners are offering trips to would-be sightseers wanting to catch a glimpse of a pod of 40 pilot whales spotted in the Blackwater estuary.

Experts appealed to the public not to be tempted by the offers, saying that boats following the whales could stress the animals. There have been fears that the pod would become stranded in the shallows.

Sally Hamilton, a marine biologist and director of Orca, a charity devoted to whale and dolphin protection, said: “Numerous boats wouldn’t be something they were used to. People just going out to have a look are not going to help the animals.”

The news came as the body of a young, possibly newborn, pilot whale was discovered in the in the river. The body, “emaciated and in very bad condition”,was found near the village of Goldhanger on Thursday and marine specialists remain concerned there could be a mass stranding involving the highly social and inquisitive creatures.

The 1.8m(6ft) female will be sent for a postmortem, said Julia Cable of British Divers Marine Life Rescue(BDMLR), the organisation monitoring the pod’s progress. “Its skin looks quite bad. It could have been in the water for a day or two.”

The mammals, actually dolphins, should be in deeper water but are thought to have followed shoals of herring close to land. They have travelled up the river as well as shuttling towards the town of Brightlingsea since they arrived this week.

Pilot whale strandings can involve all of a large tight-knit group because when one is sick or injured they tend to lead the pod. If this whale gets into trouble, other healthy ones often follow.

The pod may be the same one seen off the Norfolk and Suffolk coast some days ago and off Belgium at the weekend. After appearing near Sheerness, Kent, on Sunday, it seems in no hurry to leave Essex, even after the use of a police helicopter on Wednesday to encourage their departure. A police marine unit was deployed on Thursday.

“They are hanging around in really shallow water, which is really unusual for them,” said Cable at the Sussex-based BDMLR, which has a boat with the pod. “It is really difficult to know what they are doing. Everybody is guessing. There’s a lot a herring in the area at the moment so that is probably what they are feeding on.”

On Thursday morning, the whales were in water no more than 5 metres deep, said Cable. “There are some large adults, four to six metres, in this group They are in too close, they should be further out. There was no question of boats, whether their’s or a police one also monitoring progress, being able to shepherd the pod out.

“We are just keeping an eye on them. We can’t move them and they won’t be moved. We want them to move away slowly and under their own steam. We are there just to make sure nobody else goes in with them.”

Cable said her charity was concerned that “irresponsible” people in boats would separate the pod. “People want to go out and see them. People are paying to go out there. There is one lady who is organising whale-watching trips. That is not great.”