A sperm whale that washed up on the Hawaiian island of Kauai was discovered to have fishing nets, plastic baggage, and numerous traps inside its abdomen, based on the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The 56-foot whale was examined by researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Health and Stranding Lab, who spent 15 hours investigating the reason for loss of life, the Hawaii DLNR mentioned. “In addition to squid beaks, fish skeletons and other prey remains, we found at least six hagfish traps and we also found significant amounts of at least seven types of fishing net, at least two types of plastic bags, a light protector, fishing line and a float from a net,” Dr Kristi West, director of the Health and Stranding Lab, mentioned. “We did find a number of things in the stomach of the sperm whale that may have contributed to its death and are certainly disturbing.” Researchers imagine the artifical particles could have induced a blockage which contributed to the whale’s loss of life. “We are only able to examine a small number of our dolphins and whales that die in our waters, and we think that each individual we are able to examine represents as many of 20 other animals who are likely to ultimately die from these types of impacts,” West mentioned. “It’s heartbreaking to see this kind of destruction in an individual animal.” Credit: Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources by way of Storyful
Source: www.news.com.au
