Dozens of dead juvenile whales washed up on Argentine coast

Dozens of dead young whales have washed up on the beaches of Argentina's Valdés Peninsula. According to current knowledge, the possible cause of death is a bacterium that can cause systemic diseases in southern right whale calves, as the government of Chubut province explained. No evidence of a human-caused cause has yet been found.

The provincial government is investigating the strandings together with scientists. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), also known as southern right whales, are affected. The animals migrate to the coasts of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to reproduce and raise their young. They stay in large numbers in the northern Patagonian waters of Argentina.

Scientist Mariano Coscarella from the Argentine Research Council Conicet spoke to the newspaper “Página/12” about a “quite high mortality rate”. The provincial government, however, pointed out that right whales die every year. The current cases could therefore also be part of natural population dynamics. The number of animals dying can fluctuate from season to season and also within a season.

Bacterial infestation is currently the working hypothesis. Such a phenomenon has already been observed in other places around the world.

Important habitat and UNESCO World Heritage Site

The approximately 4,000 square kilometer Valdés Peninsula in northern Patagonia is an important refuge for marine mammals. Thousands of sea lions, elephant seals and numerous species of whales come to the coastal waters during the breeding and breeding season. Two ocean currents meet there and create nutrient-rich waters. The peninsula was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.