Answers to devastating beaching of 97 long-finned pilot whales still months away but hopes remain

The deaths of 97 long-finned pilot whales broke the hearts of the Great Southern and global community when they suddenly beached themselves in July this year. Now researchers are on a mission to find out why the whales beached themselves and continued to re-beach when some were relocated safely back into the water. UWA Oceans Institute associate professor Parwinder Kaur said there were several recorded instances of species of pilot whales beaching themselves and “it’s not for the very first time”. “Whale stranding is a common phenomenon specifically for this particular type of species, which falls under the category of long-fin and short-fin pilot whales,” she said. “This has happened several times in the past now, but it’s very heart-breaking to see that it happened in our own backyard here in Western Australia.” Dr Kaur said at this stage in the research, they have “no clue” why the whales beached. “The research that we’re doing is to understand what happened and what could be the reasons,” she said. “The reasons could be external factors like climate change, or there could be something else in the waters that might have happened. “It could have been some sort of other variance that might have caused it, but it could also be an internal factor. “When we say internal factor it means it could be that some of the whales were diseased or were infected with something, and the others tried to help it and they lost.” Despite the incident being heart-breaking for those involved on the beach and to those tuning in across the globe, the beaching gives researchers a unique opportunity to genetically map long-finned pilot whales. “We’re trying to capture the DNA maps, which is basically the blueprint of life for any species,” Dr Kaur said. “You need a map to be able to really understand what has happened, because anything that happens, whether it is an external or internal factor, it all interacts and has a dialogue at a molecular level, which is the DNA level, and everything is coded in that space.” “This is incredible information that we get to understand.” It’s a world first to put that DNA map together in its entirety, and Dr Kaur believes there may be a clue in the whales’ biology that explained the tragic events on Cheynes Beach. “My team and I are putting that map together in the next month or so, and once we have that then we’ll be able to navigate and really go to the point in the DNA where we can find clues and evidence of what really happened,” she said. A spokesperson from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said the research may take up to several months to complete the varying and different tests on the samples available. “Multiple agencies took samples from several deceased whales after a mass stranding event at Cheynes Beach in Albany,” they said. “The includes researchers and scientists from DBCA, Curtin University, Flinders University, University of Western Australia, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Perth Zoo working to identify and/or rule out potential disease or acoustic trauma. “Mass whale strandings are a natural phenomenon and the exact reasons behind them can be challenging to determine definitively. “The scientific sampling may prove inconclusive and only serve to rule out some possible causes. “The finding will be shared with key stakeholders in due course.”