Marine animal carcasses found on Mumbai’s beaches raise alarm

The growing number of marine specie deaths raise an alarm as the tally in 2017 has already reached 10 in the first four months.

A sudden spurt in deaths of marine animals—six carcasses found along the Mumbai coast in the past six days—has raised an alarm among environmentalists.

A carcass of an Olive Ridley turtle washed ashore Uttan beach last week. (HT Photo)

Decomposed carcasses of three Olive Ridley turtles were spotted at Vasai and Uttan beaches last week. A dead Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin was found on the beach at Bhuigaon, Vasai. On Saturday, the carcass of an Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin and an Olive Ridley turtle were spotted at Juhu and Versova.

The toll in 2017 has already reached 10 in the first four months. Over the past two years, carcasses of nearly 30 dolphins, six whales and finless porpoises have washed ashore along the Mumbai and Maharashtra coast.

Zoologist and former member of the National Institute of Oceanography, Nitin Walmiki, who identified the carcasses, told HT that according to his research, most deaths occurred during summer months.

“Owing to high temperatures, there has been a rise in both sea surface temperature and that of the ocean floor. This is forcing the marine species to constantly move and find cooler habitats,” he said.

“However, since they are unable to do so, they are either losing sense of direction and hitting large vessels or moving into the deep seas where they cannot sustain the impact of massive waves,” he said.

Officials from the state mangrove cell said that they were planning a study to check the cause of deaths.

“The rise in marine mammal and reptile deaths is worrying. We are looking into the possibility of carrying out a study under our Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation foundation soon,” said N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell.

“While the impact of climate change could be one of the primary causes, only a detailed study can establish what is happening. In the meantime, we will be collecting tissue samples of the carcasses for further studies,” he said.

HT had reported in February that after a carcass of a four-foot finless porpoise washed ashore at Bhuigaon beach, Vasai, perturbed fishermen from Mumbai decided to approach the National Green Tribunal alleging that oil companies had been carrying out seismic blasts from ships to the ocean floor to identify oil and natural gas.

The impact of the firms’ machines had made it difficult for mammals to navigate the ocean and this is probably what caused their deaths, feel members of the fishing community.

A seismic survey is a process to look for oil and gas deposits deep below the ocean floor through the use of sonic cannons (air guns) to shoot compacted air to the ocean floor, creating sound waves that map oil and gas reserves in the seabed.

“Notices have been sent to various government bodies to respond to our allegation. Once we receive the responses, we will approach the tribunal for the hearing,” said Damodar Tandel, president of a Mumbai based fishing community.

“Also, we are contemplating whether we should file a petition regarding the same at the Bombay High Court,” he said.