Dire warning as 'devastating' find on Aussie beach ignites widespread concern
The 'mass morality' of thousands of seabirds landing on Aussie shores points to a larger, more concerning issue one expert told Yahoo News.
A disturbing discovery made along several Aussie beaches this week should be a warning for what's to come, it's been claimed, as hundreds of birds were found washed up dead along the sand.
It's thought the sad phenomenon occurs almost annually, starting in September, and sees masses of seabirds — specifically shearwaters — lay lifeless on beaches across Australia. Most recently, "hundreds or thousands" were reported to have landed on the shores of Cronulla beach in Sydney's south, with reports there were "lots in [nearby] Bundeena" as well. Several birds were also spotted in Sydney's east and north, and on the Central Coast.
The large number of seabird deaths at one time is referred to as a 'mass mortality' or a 'wreck' event, seabird research group Adrift Lab noted. "In Australia, the main species caught up in these events is usually the short-tailed shearwater (or 'muttonbird'), though particularly bad events can involve other species too," it said.
Shearwaters are known to migrate from the northern hemisphere to Australia to breed along the coastline. Due to the gargantuan journey, often from Alaska and also northern Asia, many birds die of exhaustion, Steve Whalen, General Manager at Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue, last month explained to Yahoo News after a handful of shearwater birds were spotted lying lifeless on the sand at Belongil Beach in Byron Bay.
Common theory about dead seabirds debunked by expert
But Adrift Lab is frustrated "reputable organisations" continually blame long-distance migration for the birds dying, deeming it "normal" or "natural".
"The key thing to note here is that these birds migrated to Australia in September. It is now November," marine scientist and Adrift volunteer Jennifer Laver told Yahoo.
"This has almost nothing to do with migration. We can't stress that enough".
Laver said she's been "utterly overwhelmed" by the "pervasive myths" around the reason for the dead or dying birds and urges people, including experts, to stop "normalising" their deaths.
The NSW DCCEEW said in a statement recently that "sustained onshore winds are accentuating the annual, natural mortality of shearwaters", the ABC reported.
"During the migration, the birds endure storms, gales and food shortages [and] these exhausting journeys often mean many shearwaters die, sometimes washing up on beaches in large numbers. While confronting, this unfortunate event is a natural occurrence," they said.
But Laver disagrees.
"I'm horrified because we should never normalise the mass mortality of any animal," she said. "If it was natural, if it was just exhaustion due to migration, then we should actually see this as a widespread annual phenomenon and in thousands of other highly migratory species.
"I cannot be more clear about this. This has zero to do with migration"
Ocean warming blamed for mass seabird deaths
Instead, Laver suggests its more to do with climate change and ocean warming in both the North Pacific, where the birds start their journey, and the Tasman sea around Australia where they end up. It's claimed the warming waters are wiping out food sources which shearwaters are known to prey on, so by the time they arrive in Australia they're usually starving.
"Warmer water is changing the structure and the abundance of prey in the North Pacific. Then they're getting hit by warming waters in the Tasman Sea when they arrive and they desperately need to replenish the reserves," she explained.
"What we know is that the Tasman Sea is an ocean warming hotspot. It's warming between two and four times faster than anywhere else. And what that suggests, very strongly, is that if birds die when water is warm, more birds are going to die in more years.
"With climate change and ocean warming, marine heatwaves are becoming more common, especially off the east coast of Australia," she continued. "The death of thousands of long-lived sentinel species is a warning. It is dangerous to normalise this."
She begged people to "please stop" spreading incorrect messaging about the birds.
Aussies encouraged to report seabird deaths
Laver admits "we have no solution" and part of the reason is that there's "not enough data" — which is where Aussies can help.
Locals are encouraged to report any birds they find on beaches with details including the time, how many and exactly where they were located. This will go a long way to encouraging change and it being recognised as "a real problem".
Avian flu a major threat on Aussie shores
In the past, Aussies have been known to pick up dead or injured birds in a bid to help them, however this year, people are advised to avoid it.
With the threat of avian influenza, or bird flu, which is rampant across Asia, North America and Europe where these birds have migrated from, it's feared some birds might carry the virus, with testing now being carried out among the birds that arrive in Australia.
"Given these birds are coming from that direction, we just wanted to make sure that people were aware about the correct procedures in place, and not to touch them. We want people to be safe," Whalen warned last month.
"If you see Shearwaters, please do not handle them, or let pets near them".
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