Three whale deaths occurred on the Moroccan coast in the past weeks, in Boujdour, Dakhla, and Chalihat Beach in Kenitra. Which raised questions about the causes of these incidents and the implications of their temporal context.
Experts at the National Institute for Research in Marine Fisheries are currently working on finding the scientific reasons for these incidents. While the initial results of the case of the whale that died in “Al-Shalihat” Beach in Kenitra were related to the possibility of the presence of a disease, its type is currently being scrutinized.
The local authorities in Kenitra, according to the aforementioned institute, began “encircling the carcass of the huge whale, fearing the transmission of viruses and infections to the natural environment and citizens, while applying a strict health protocol.”
Iman Al-Taie, a researcher at the National Institute for Marine Fisheries Research, charged with coordinating a network that tracks the deaths of marine species along the Moroccan coast, said that “institute personnel received three notifications from the authorities of whale deaths during the past weeks,” noting that “our experts moved, On Sunday, we went to the location in Kenitra in order to carry out the necessary tests for one of these cases.”
Al-Taie explained, in a statement to Hespress, that “the initial observations that were examined in the field in the case of the whale that died at Al-Shalihat Beach show that it was in a weak state of health, especially at the skin level.” “This indicates the possibility of a disease causing her death.”
The “INRH” in charge of coordinating the network tracking the deaths of marine species along the Moroccan coast explained that the investigations and tests that are being conducted are with foreign experts, within the framework of Morocco’s marine scientific technical agreement with European partners called “ACCOBAMS.”
Al-Taie highlighted that “the case of the whale that died in Dakhla shows the presence of a fishing net that may have been the cause of its death, or perhaps its death occurred before its body was attached to this net,” stressing that “investigations are continuing, and the final report will reveal the true reasons for its death.”
The same researcher revealed that “a team of experts from the South Center in Casablanca and specialists in marine epidemiology in Tangiers affiliated with the institute arrived on Monday at Chalihat Beach in order to complete the research, after on Sunday they took samples from the whale’s carcass.”
In this context, Al-Taie pointed out that “the initial observations that were made in the case of Al-Shalihat Beach in Quneitra show that the whale that died was very weak in its physical structure, and there are many external parasites on its skin that do not move as required until they attach to it; Which means she was infected with some disease.”
The same spokeswoman pointed out that “this matter required us to request the presence of specialists in pathological anatomy and a veterinarian, who will supervise the surgical operation, along with foreign experts.”
Al-Taie acknowledged that “there have been many cases of large whale deaths on the Moroccan coast recently,” saying: “We are currently trying to search for the real causes.” “Soon, the latest scientific results will be announced.”
The same spokeswoman continued: “Yesterday, we went to the spot, and it was difficult to extract Al-Houthi’s body due to its enormous weight. Today, this will be achieved in light of the presence of the mechanisms of the local and concerned authorities, including the Royal Gendarmerie and the Kenitra Environmental Division.”
The “INRH” in charge of coordinating the network that tracks the deaths of marine species along the Moroccan coast stressed that “whale deaths are a natural and normal matter,” revealing that “the number of whale deaths in Morocco ranges between 120 to 170 cases every year along the coast of the Kingdom.”
The aforementioned researcher explained that “the death of an animal in the sea in general is through its departure from its environmental environment and its death, which could be through drowning under water or being swept away by water currents to the sandy beach.”