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At least thirteen whales have been found dead in the province of Chubut in just over two weeks. Local authorities fear that these deaths are due to a red tide that could also be harmful to humans.
With Theo Conscience, RFI correspondent in Buenos Aires
Each time the same tragic photos. Lifeless southern right whales, with their white bellies turned towards the sky, stranded on the shores of the Valdés Peninsula, in Argentine Patagonia.
On Monday, October 3, two new bodies were discovered, in addition to the eleven already found since September 24. Fernando Bersano, Director of Fauna and Flora for the province of Chubut, said he did not remember ever seeing “such a high mortality rate in such a short time.”
In recent days, 13 dead right whales have appeared in Chubut and the @ICB_Argentina was working in the area together with other organizations and reported that autopsies and water samples are being taken to find out how and why they died.
?@ICB_Argentina pic.twitter.com/9pZ4v3Ss9W
– Greenpeace Argentina (@GreenpeaceArg) October 3, 2022
Potentially toxic red tide
Concerns are heightened by the fact that none of the whales showed signs of malnutrition or traumatic injuries, leading scientists to suspect an environmental factor.
According to the Argentine Whale Conservation Institute (ICB), the priority is to determine if these deaths are not due to a red tide, that is, to the proliferation of potentially toxic microalgae for marine fauna and humans.
Pending the results of the autopsies of the whales and the analysis of the water samples taken on the peninsula, the local authorities have prohibited the collection, sale and consumption of shellfish and fish.
