Three minke whales washed up dead on the UK’s east coast during the weekend, with another two reported as distressed, Mirror reports. According to John Cresswell from the Felixstowe Volunteer Coast Patrol Rescue Service, offshore wind farms off Suffolk coast may have affected the sonar whales use to navigate.
Cresswell believes offshore wind farms and the amount of sand in the water have led to whales being disoriented and steering off course.
“Sometimes whales can’t get very good sonar transmission near mud banks, which means they end up at shore. I also believe that the wind turbines would have contributed to this, as whales aren’t able to communicate properly when wind turbines are being used,” Mirror quotes John Cresswell as saying.
The first minke whale reported to be found dead on Saturday is a calf seen a day earlier as it separated from its mother, who then also washed up dead near Felixstowe. On Sunday, 21 May, another dead whale was found and two more were reported as being in distress.