Stranded melon-headed whales found way to open seas, Bataan gov says

MANILA, Philippines – The hundreds of melon-headed whales stranded earlier off the coastal area of Pilar town in Bataan province have likely found their way into the open seas, governor Enrique Garcia, Jr. said Tuesday afternoon. In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, Garcia said as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, there were no more sightings of the dolphins off the coastal areas of Hermosa and Mariveles towns near Pilar. “Mino-monitor ko yung mga dolphins [melon-headed whales] from the helicopter. The whole coastline fronting Hermosa to Mariveles, they had no sightings. Wala na. Hopefully, nasa open seas na," Garcia said. [I have been monitoring the movements of the melon-headed whales from a helicopter and there are no sightings of the creatures from the whole coastline fronting Hermosa and Mariveles. Hopefully, they are now on open seas.] A statement from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday quoted Commodore Luis Tuazon, Coast Guard Metro Manila – Central Luzon District commander - as saying that some 400 to 500 melon-headed whales were spotted off Pilar town about 4 a.m. Tuesday. About three whales were reported dead. In the interview, Garcia said authorities have yet to identify what caused the whales' deaths. He also said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officials are still determining what could have caused the whales’ “stranding." Garcia added that the PCG’s search and rescue vessels are still patrolling the coastal areas to spot others which may not have joined the pod in the open sea. “Yung coast guard, nandoon pa yung kanilang patrol boat. Yung BFAR, sabi nga ni Director [Malcolm] Sarmiento, they are still conducting an investigation," Garcia said. Sarmiento had earlier said a sea quake or a disturbance could have damaged the whales’ eardrums and sense of balance, causing them to be “disoriented" on their navigational patterns. Garcia said that on Wednesday, authorities will scour the coastal areas anew to monitor similar occurences. He added that Environment Secretary Lito Atienza had also called for a meeting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss the incident. According to Wikipedia, the Melon-headed Whale (Peponocephala electra; other names are many-toothed blackfish and electra dolphin) is a cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). It is closely related to the Pygmy Killer Whale and Pilot Whale, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name blackfish. The Melon-headed Whale is widespread throughout the world's tropical waters, although not often seen by humans on account of its preference for deep water. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV