Spit stranding doomed pilot whales

CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT

WHALE TRAP: Some of the pilot whales stranded on Farewell Spit, whose shallow waters catch out many migrating whales during the summer.

Relevant offers

Pilot whales were doomed when they stranded on a remote and exposed Farewell Spit beach, the Conservation Department says.

More than 120 whales died over 48 hours in two separate beachings  at the remote Farewell Spit in Golden Bay and at Colville Bay, north of Coromandel.

The stranded Farewell Spit pod was spotted by a tourist plane pilot on Saturday morning. DOC Golden Bay biodiversity programme manager Hans Stoffregen said it was a "very distressing sight".

Only 30 of 105 long-finned pilot whales were still alive but "close to death" when staff arrived; all were emaciated and had to be put down.

"It was a really sad occasion. We had to take them out of their misery. The survivors were quite sad-looking.

"Where they were beached, they were doomed ... It was a remote site. Access is difficult and it's very exposed."

The whales may have been stranded for two days before being discovered. Most succumbed to heat exhaustion being out of the water and exposed to the sun.

But even if they had been found earlier, they would have to have been moved across 12 kilometres of mostly mud flats to get them into deep water.

The carcasses were left where they stranded to decompose, as the site is a natural reserve.

Mr Stoffregen said pilot whales migrated past New Zealand over summer and followed fish into shallow waters, sometimes becoming disoriented and stranded. Farewell Spit was known as a "whale trap" and had a history of strandings.

In December 2006, 140 pilot whales were stranded at Puponga Bay at the base of the spit. Most were saved by rescuers.

But just two weeks later, on New Year's Day 2007, 50 more beached at the same spot of the most recent stranding. All died.

Mr Stoffregen praised rescuers in Coromandel after 63 whales, mostly cows with calves, beached themselves at Colville Bay. Forty-two were saved by hundreds of locals and holidaymakers, who kept the surviving whales wet in the low tide until it rose and they could be refloated.

"Good on the people in Coromandel for being able to rescue so many. It's hard work," he said.

The 21 dead whales were buried by Coromandel Maori yesterday.

-With NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News