DENPASAR, mybalinews.com – The Bali Regional Office of the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center (BPSPL) has recorded at least 51 marine animals found dead in Bali waters within a year in 2024.
The marine animals mostly found dead after washed up into the beach
Rizka Dzulfikar, the head of the protection and conservation working group at BPSPL Denpasar said that marine animal found dead including 1 dugong, 9 dolphins of various species, 6 whales of various species, and 35 sea turtles of various species.
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Bali has recorded the highest number compared to three other province that has been researched. BPSL recorded a total of 115 marine animals dead in the waters of four province, namely Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and East Java throughout 2024.
“Overall, in the four provinces, there were 115 dead marine animals, with 51 of them found in Bali,” said Rizka in a statement.
Across the entire BPSPL Denpasar work area, which covers Bali, NTT, NTB, and East Java, there were 13 dead marine animals in East Java waters, including 2 whales, 1 dugong, 3 whale sharks, 1 manta ray, 2 dolphins, and 4 sea turtles.
In NTB waters, 8 marine animals were found dead, including 1 dugong, 4 dolphins of various species, 2 whales of various species, and 1 sea turtle.
In NTT waters, there were 43 dead marine animals, consisting of 1 dugong, 1 dolphin, 20 whales of various species, and 21 sea turtles of various species.
In total, there were 115 dead marine animals: 4 dugongs, 3 whale sharks, 1 manta ray, 16 dolphins, 30 whales, and 61 sea turtles.
Dzulfikar explained that the exact cause of the deaths remains inconclusive, as they were unable to conduct necropsies due to budget constraints and other limitations.
“We couldn’t perform necropsies in 2024. In the past, we did some necropsies with the Faculty of Medicine at Airlangga University, but this year, we didn’t manage to do any due to budget and time constraints. We cannot yet draw conclusions about the cause of death, whether it was due to plastic waste or other factors,” Rizka said.
Regarding the types of marine animals, there were various species of dolphins such as spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, as well as species of dwarf whales, pilot whales, and sperm whales. Sea turtle species included green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and others.
Although the exact cause is still unclear, Dzulfikar mentioned that a previous investigation in 2022 in West Java waters revealed that the use of sonar waves by ships might have caused disorientation in marine mammals, leading them to beach themselves.
“Sonar usage makes them vulnerable to disorientation. They typically move in groups, and when the leader is affected by sonar, the rest follow and also end up stranded. Experts agree that sonar affects marine mammals,” Dzulfikar explained.
He also noted that underwater earthquakes could cause disorientation in marine mammals, leading to strandings.
“Whales, dolphins, and dugongs are mammals too. They can experience disorientation if they are affected by sonar or underwater earthquakes, and this could cause them to strand,” he added.
While extreme weather was initially considered a factor in strandings, Dzulfikar emphasized that so far, no expert has linked such weather to the strandings, as the timing and occurrence do not correlate with extreme weather events.
“In fact, extreme weather conditions haven’t been proven to cause strandings. These animals have habitats that may naturally lead them to strand, regardless of the weather,” he said.
Dzulfikar also mentioned the possibility of accidents, like the one in Buleleng, Bali, where a dolphin was found injured, likely due to a ship’s propeller.
“Dolphins are often found in the northern parts of Bali, around Lovina, Buleleng, where there have been incidents of injuries, likely caused by ship propellers,” he added. (mybalinews/KAD/ERV)
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