All Washed Up

Over the weekend the news broke that our local cruising grounds of the Wash estuary had been the scene of a mass stranding of beautiful Sperm Whales.

So far five of their carcasses have been found washed ashore in Hunstanton, Skegness, Gibraltor Point and yesterday in Wainfleet. This on top of the remains found on the other side of the North Sea in Holland.

The experts currently believe that the pod of male whales have followed food, squid to be more precise, into the shallow waters of the North Sea. Once in shallow waters their echo location, which is designed for much deeper water, doesn't work leading them to become disorientated and run into more shallow waters. Once in shallow water their own bodies cannot sustain their huge weight and their lungs collapse which ultimately is what kills them.

The experts believe that the growing number of stranded whales found each year could well be down to an increase in their numbers forcing them to hunt further afield for food, which in turn is forcing them into shallower waters in which they just cannot survive.

It is such a sad scene to see these most amazing creatures littering the shore line, what an amazing sight it would have been to see these whales swimming as a pod in deep water.