Marine enthusiasts in Mumbai form First Responders group that will head to the stranding spot to enable scientific study and help save whales from being hunted
The carcass of a 40-foot whale that was stranded at Juhu Chowpatty in 2016
Last Monday, when a 40-foot-long carcass of a Bryde's Whale washed up ashore in Colaba, a call was placed to a group of marine activists who were, coincidentally, at that moment, sitting in a meeting in Bandra discussing how to respond to strandings of turtles. It was also the day that the group of around 40 volunteers - which includes independent researchers, marine life enthusiasts, officials from the mangrove cell of the forest department, and volunteers from various NGOs - decided to extend their reach from turtles to all marine life that are, increasingly seen stranded along the state's coastline.
The carcass of a 40-foot whale that was stranded at Juhu Chowpatty in 2016
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Called the Marine Respondents' team, the group aims to increase its network to interested citizens, fishermen, etc. so that when a stranding occurs, one of them is able to reach the spot immediately. This is important, says Ketaki Jog, a 30-year-old ecologist who studies marine eco systems and is part of the group, to understand both, the cause of death and glean more information about their life history. "This is done by collecting tissue samples," she adds. For now, the samples that have been collected are being stored privately, as the researchers are awaiting grants from institutes and private funds that would help them send it to the labs and study them. "Unless we study these samples it is difficult to understand why the strandings are occurring," adds Jog, who primarily works in the Sindhudurg region but lives in Mumbai during the monsoons when the weather makes it difficult to head out to the sea.
Sample collections - for instance, the gut of the stranded mammals and reptiles - also reveal other details that, Jog says, researchers find tough to glean by observing them in their natural habitat. "Going into the deep sea to observe a whale for instance is an expensive process. And, even then we won't get information on the kind of fish that they prefer to eat," she says, adding that strandings also help ecologists get an idea of the marine ecosystem around the coastline. "For instance, we know that sperm whales exist around our coastline because of a stranding that happened at Revdanda, Alibaug, in 2015," she adds. Pradeep Patade, who runs the Marine Life of Mumbai, which conducts walks around the city to document and create awareness about the rich life on our shores, adds that unless data is gathered during such strandings, reasons for the deaths will not be known and remedial action will be difficult to take. It's why like-minded people in the city decided to pool in their resources.
The group after a workshop
Abhishek Jamalabad, also a researcher and a member of the group, adds, "I work in Karwar in southern Karnataka, where there is a similar network with people informing scientists of strandings. Then we reach the spot along with the forest department and other authorities to collect samples." The Mumbai group, he says, is larger than most others that have existed so far. Patade says volunteers have been allotted beaches across the city from Giragaon to Dahanu, so that they can be the first respondents. The idea, he says, is also to connect with local stakeholders - fishermen, walkers/runners, hawkers, clean-up staff and cops - who are almost always present at the beaches, so that they can connect with the group when they spot something.
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