Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Leslie Miller said his ministry was still awaiting the results of an autopsy on a whale that washed ashore in Andros last month.
Marine biologists, veterinarians and government ministers travelled to Central Andros on Feb. 27 after being informed that the carcass of a 41-foot sperm whale was discovered on a Behring Point beach. The whale, which reportedly had internal injuries, reportedly washed ashore on Feb. 24.
The biologists, from the Marine Mammal Operations Department at Kerzner International’s Atlantis Resort, did not draw any conclusions about what caused the whale’s death. However, residents speculated that the Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar testing, carried out in the area by the U.S. Atlantic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Center (AUTEC), might have disoriented the whale.
Said Mr Miller: “An autopsy was done, it was done by the good people at Kerzner International. We are just now waiting the results of that autopsy. It was sent to the United States Marine Labs (& Institutions) to be assessed and that is being done now.”
“The whale has been buried because it is felt that the skeleton of the whale should be preserved for future generations of Bahamians to take a look at.”
Mr Miller added that both he Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell were expected to attend a meeting with representatives of AUTEC within the next 10 days to discuss the implications of sonar testing. Strangely, a day after the whale was found in Andros, another whale beached in the Abacos. It is unclear whether an autopsy had been completed on the second whale.
In March 2000, a total of 13 beached whales where found in Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera, after the U.S Navy reportedly carried out sonar tests in Bahamian waters.
By: MINDELL SMALL, The Nassau Guardian
