Whale and dolphin death toll during Deepwater disaster may have been greatly underestimated

[kpete]

Source: Eurakalert

Public release date: 30-Mar-2011

Contact: Ben Norman
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44-012-437-70375
Wiley-Blackwell
Whale and dolphin death toll during Deepwater disaster may have been greatly underestimated

Animal carcasses recovered represent a small fraction of fatalities

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 devastated the Gulf of Mexico ecologically and economically. However, a new study published in Conservation Letters reveals that the true impact of the disaster on wildlife may be gravely underestimated. The study argues that fatality figures based on the number of recovered animal carcasses will not give a true death toll, which may be 50 times higher than believed.

"The Deepwater oil spill was the largest in US history, however, the recorded impact on wildlife was relatively low, leading to suggestions that the environmental damage of the disaster was actually modest," said lead author Dr Rob Williams from the University of British Columbia."This is because reports have implied that the number of carcasses recovered, 101, equals the number of animals killed by the spill."

The team focused their research on 14 species of cetacean, an order of mammals including whales and dolphins. While the number of recovered carcasses has been assumed to equal the number of deaths, the team argues that marine conditions and the fact that many deaths will have occurred far from shore mean recovered carcasses will only account for a small proportion of deaths.


.................

"While we did not conduct a study to estimate the actual number of deaths from the oil spill, our research reveals that the accepted figures are a grave underestimation," concluded Dr. Williams. "We now urge methodological development to develop appropriate multipliers so that we discover the true cost of this tragedy."

Read more: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/w-wad032811.php/

[Roy Rolling]

1. There's a reason for the error:

Whales and dolphins don't send out press releases for the compliant media to regurgitate.

Living near the disaster on the Gulf coast, I remember one right-wing moron who proudly declared because (at that time) only one dead animal had been found, it was proof only one mammal had been killed by the disaster. Therefore, he said, the oil spill was harmless to life in and around the gulf.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

2. Are you still living there?

If so, in which state? Do you see dolphins swimming in the Gulf now? Any difference in sightings of other sealife, birds etc from before the BP spew?

[kickysnana]

3. Many on DU are not surprised. Which means the idiots are still in charge. n/t

[QC]

4. K&R